UNCEASING Am ATTACKS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 January 1941, Page 5

UNCEASING Am ATTACKS

ON ENEMY BASES AND AERODROMES IN LIBYA

During Preparations for Reduction of Tobruk ITALIAN AIR FORCE BEING DESTROYED ON GROUND SUCCESS SCORED BY ABYSSINIAN GUERILLAS The latest R.A.F. communique from Cairo, the 8.8. C. states, reports attacks on Tobruk, Gazala and other enemy bases , in Libya. At Gazala 45 Italian aircraft are known to have been rendered unserviceable, but an earlier report of the capture of the aerodrome is not confirmed.

A communique issued by British General Headquarters in Cairo states that preparations for the reduction of Tobruk are proceeding. British mechanised forces are operating west ol the town. Abyssinian patriots, encouraged by the support of the R.A.F., have compelled the Italians to evacuate the post of Guba. Another communique issued by the R.A.F. states that Tobruk, like Bardia before it, is being subjected to heavy attacks while the land forces are preparing’ for their assault. The bombing is being directed carefully at military objectives as at Bardia, where, two Italian generals have now stated, most of the targets of military importance were destroyed, though the town itself still stands.

. The R.A.F. on Wednesday attacked Benghazi and convoys out at sea. Five ships were stxmck by bombs and fires were started in a number of warehouses.

At the same time there has been no slackening in the attacks on Italian aerodromes in Libya which have done so much to weaken the enemy air force. In one of these attacks, the R.A.F. found a hundred enemy planes on the ground and bombed them severely. At another aerodrome eleven Savoia machines were set on fire and others put out of action. An especially heavyraid was made on shipping and other objectives at Benghazi. Fires were started in a number of buildings and in addition damage was caused to four or five ships in the harbour.'

An earlier statement said that the R.A.F. attacks on aerodromes accounted for the failure of the Italian air force to take any effective part in the Battle of Bardia. On Sunday enemy aircraft made an effort to intervene. British fighters met the challenge and nineteen enemy machines were destroyed. One British fighter and one bomber were lost. Mention in the Army communique of the Abyssinian success at Guba is the first official news of the guerilla operations Abyssinian patriots have been carrying on all over their country since Italy entered the war. Many attacks have been made on Italian troops, posts and communications. Guba is 25 miles inside Abyssinia from the Sudan frontier and 150 miles southwest of Lake Tana.