MANY RAIDS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 March 1941, Page 5

MANY RAIDS

<t> IN AFRICA & MEDITERRANEAN AREA HEAVY ATTACK ON ISLAND OF RHODES. GOOD PROGRESS IN LAND CAMPAIGNS. British and Imperial planes have carried out widespread raids in Africa and the Mediterranean, a 8.8. G. broadcast states. On Monday night a heavy raid was made on aerodromes on the Island of Rhodes. Four heavy explosions occurred and a large fire was seen to break out at one aerodrome. \ Two enemy planes were destroyed on Monday night when an attack was made on Malta and five were accounted for in a raid in Tripolitania on Tuesday. In Abyssinia enemy transport was machine-gunned and an Italian bomber destroyed. In Eritrea further attacks were made on the railway between Keren and the coast. From all these operations all the British planes returned. Imperial troops advancing from Italian Somaliland are now 300 miles inside Abyssinia and 150 miles from Harrar, the second largest town in Abyssinia. The troops have advanced 10 miles in two days and are now 600 miles from Mogadishu. Enemy losses since the British forces crossed the Juba River total 31,000 men. Large quantities of petrol and food were also captured. IN SORE STRAITS ITALIANS IN ABYSSINIA ■ MANY CONVERGING ATTACKS. LONDON, March 11. The Cairo correspondent of “The Times” says the capture of Afodu escarpment opens another path into the heart of Abyssinia, and increases the ever-growing threat against the isolated Italian garrisons. The Italians have been surprisingly holding out in this area, and, though the force is not large the collapse of resistance would enable the British more easily to keep in touch with the patriots. With the British forging ahead from Italian Somaliland, and the position of the enemy at Keren becoming less tenable, the Italians face a network of British columns converging in all directions. The patriot movement is assuming far larger proportions than the Italian leaders at Addis Ababa realise, because local commanders are unwilling to report their failure to control the situation. Indeed, the patriots appear to be masters of most of Abyssinia, except the areas where appreciable Italian garrisons are operating.