ENEMY ATTACK ON TOBRUK REPELLED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 April 1941, Page 5

ENEMY ATTACK ON TOBRUK REPELLED

British Forces Take Eight Hundred Prisoners EFFECTIVE NAVAL BOMBARDMENT OF CAPUZZO PUNISHING BLOWS STRUCK ALSO BY R.A.F. (By Telegraph.—Press Association. —Copyright.) LONDON, April 17. An enemy attack on Tobruk was repulsed by artillery fire and the enemy again suffered heavy casualties. The British forces captured 25 enemy officers and 767 other ranks and 200 enemy dead were left on the field. Of the number taken prisoner, 146 were captured when a British patrol successfully penetrated the enemy positions outside Tobruk. In the Solium area a British patrol surprised a considerable body of enemy infantry and inflicted serious casualties. An Admiralty communique reports the successful bombardment of Fort Capuzzo, in Libya, where a large number of salvos burst among 100 enemy tanks and motor transport vehicles. An aerodrome and supply depot were also successfully bombarded. No damage or casualties were suffered by the British ships. An R.A.F. communique from the Middle East reports further attacks by fighters and bombers on enemy mechanised ■ units, troops and landing grounds in Cyrenaica. Yesterday a j motor column was attacked and a number of vehicles destroyed. On Tuesday three landing grounds were attacked and convoys were bombed and machine-gunned from a low altitude. Many of the vehicles were damaged. From all these operations, as well as those in Greece, four British planes are missing.