TREMENDOUS TASK

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 February 1941, Page 5

TREMENDOUS TASK

CARRIED OUT BY NAVY J FIRST LORD BROADCASTS. IMPRESSIVE ACHIEVEMENTS (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, February 18. Broadcasting tonight. Mr. A. V. Alexander, First Lord of the Admiralty, recalled that he had not spoken over the radio since the exploit of the Fleet Air Arm at Taranto. Since then, in both the eastern and western Mediterranean. the fleet had carried out operations which had caused much surprise and consternation to the Italians. Mr. Alexander instanced the bombardmen’ of Genoa and Leghorn. On their first appearance German dive-bombers in the Mediterranean, he said, inflicted considerable damage on warships escorting a convoy, but the convoy got through intact and subsequent attacks on the Illustrious at Malta had been a failure which cost the enemy some 90 planes. Dive-bom-bers could be left to Admiral Cunningham and the threat of the Stukas would be broken the same as the threat of the Italian navy had been. “We hold the initiative in the Mediterranean,” Mr. Alexander said, "and we shall continue to use it.” Speaking of the Navy's part in the Libyan campaign, he said that there has been smooth co-operation and happy comradeship between the Navy, the Army, and the ILA.F. These victories had caused small privations in Britain because of the diversion of shipping. "You may have gone a little short of butler, tea, and meat, but you have got Bardia, Tobruk and Benghazi,” he said. The Navy transported large numbers of troops and delivered them lighting fit to General Wavell, Besides carrying out bombardments of Italian positions the Navy has acted as water carriers, maintained lines of communication, and carried out the immense task of transporting embarrassingly large number of Italian prisoners who fell with such obvious pleasure and heartfelt relief into our hands. The Navy was now carrying out similar duties off East Africa. Speaking of the Navy’s trade protection duties Mr. Alexander said that destroyers, corvettes and sloops during recent months convoyed over 3000 ships, of which only nine were lost. "Let me say." he added, "in this work the American destroyers are carrying out invaluable operations.” Though the Navy was doing the j work which in the last war was shared i between the navies of Britain, France, the United States, Italy and Japan, who between them mustered over 900 des- ; trovers, the losses in 1917 were much; higher than in 1940. This in spile of; new factors of air attack and the mag-[ nelic mine. Mr .Alexander said it might | even force Hitler to try an invasion, j