WEEK OF ACTION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 September 1940, Page 5

WEEK OF ACTION

«. BRITAIN TAKES INITIATIVE IN MEDITERRANEAN Both Naval and Land Forces Strengthened DODECANESE ISLANDS BOMBARDED SOME LOSSES INFLICTED ON ITALIANS The Admiralty reports extensive operations in both the Western and Eastern Mediterranean over a period of six days since last Saturday, a Daventry broadcast states. These operations have been entirely successful except that no contact had been made with the main enemy forces. The opportunity was taken to send strong reinforcements to the British naval forces in the Eastern Mediterranean, in which these warships swept through the Mediterranean. Aircraft attacked enemy bases at Sardinia and Sicily. In enemy air attacks on the fleet several Italian planes were shot down. No British planes were lost. TWO OF THREE ENEMY TORPEDO-BOATS WHICH ATTEMPTED AN ATTACK WERE SUNK AND THE THIRD DAMAGED. On Wednesday the British Fleet bombarded the Italian island fortress of Scarpanto (in the Dodecanese group) and enemy air bases in the Island of Rhodes. At Scarpanto one Italian cruiser was hit by two torpedoes and four enemy aircraft were shot down. An Italian fleet was sighted 150 miles away but turned tail and made for safety. At Rhodes a number of Italian planes were destroyed on the ground and petrol and ammunition dumps set on fire. The R.A.F. has attacked all Italian aerodromes in Eastern Libya, and other raids have been made in Abyssinia and East Africa. Mr Churchill’s Survey STREAM OF REINFORCEMENTS SENT TO MIDDLE EAST Mr Churchill, in a survey of the war situation, reported by Daventry, said the effective strength of the Mediterranean forces had been almost doubled by sending- there the most powerful and most modern vessels. The Italians knew of this movement, but did not attempt to intercept it. Some of the British warships touched at Malta. Mr Churchill also said that a continuous stream of reinforcements had gone to the Middle East in the last two months. Further contingents of Poles and Czechs had arrived in Palestine. Heavy fighting must be expected in the Middle East before long. Britain, said Mr Churchill, had every intention of maintaining her position there and increasing her sea power, with consequent control throughout the Mediterranean.