INTENSE SHELLING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 January 1941, Page 5

INTENSE SHELLING

BRITISH ARTILLERY ACTIVE AGAINST TOBRUK ' COLUMNS OPERATING TOWARDS BENGHAZI. ( k DESTRUCTIVE AIR RAIDS. (Ey Telegraph— Press Association—Copyright * LONDON. January 11. The shelling of Tobruk has been intensified in the last 2*l hours, says the British United Press correspondent with the British forces. Fresh artillery Units have gone into action. Flying columns, which cut off the road between Tobruk and Derna, are now operating further to the westward toward Benghazi. The British hold on the beleagured garrison at Tobruk is being steadily reinforced. according to Friday’s communique from Cairo. The communique says that the concentration of forces against Tobruk is continuing, covered by operations to the westward. From this it seems almost certain that the method of attack so brillianly justified at Bardia is being followed at Tobruk. As at Bardia. the Italians arc rut off without the possibility of reinforcements of men and supplies. The main drive in the attack for the moment is being made by the R.A.F. in a series of destructive raids which are shattering resistance on the ground as well as in the air. It appears from the scale of these operations that more British planes arc engaged in this preliminary onslaught than in the Bardia operations. They have delivered a number of heavy blows at the Italian air force during the last few days, shooting Italian planes out of the sky, and. where not destroying, severely damaging planes on the ground and ruthlessly attacking aerodromes and personnel.