VIGOROUS ACTIVITY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 16 May 1941, Page 5

VIGOROUS ACTIVITY

MAINTAINED BY BRITISH IN LIBYA I SOUTH AFRICAN AIRMEN IN ACTION. FOR FIRST TIME IN THIS AREA. (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright( LONDON. May 15. In North Africa British troops continue vigorous patrol activity in the Tobruk and Solium areas. South African airmen have been in action for the first time in this area. The British advance in Abyssinia continues. South African troops, with patriot forces in co-operation, captured two further important positions near Amba Alagi on Monday. Prisoners taken during the day totalled 24 Italian officers and 375 other’ ranks and 32 other ranks of Colonial troops. Enemy raids on Crete and Malta are reported. In neither case was any considerable damage done and there were few casualties. FLEET AIR ARM HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL ATTACK ON CONVOY. LARGE MERCHANT SHIP BLOWN UP. LONDON. May 15. Aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm made a highly successful attack on an enemy convoy in the Mediterranean on Monday night, according to a communique issued this morning. Hits were scored on one 8000-ton merchant vessel and on a destroyer The merchant ship blew up with a terrific explosion, and the destroyer was last seen with vast clouds of smoke, which were not a smoke screen, pouring from it. BRITISH INITIATIVE IN THE WESTERN DESERT. FAILURE OF ENEMY THRUST. LONDON. May 14. The British have taken the initiative in the Western Desert after the failure of the Germans’ five-prong-ed thrust. Our mechanised forces are pressing home attacks in the Solium area and harassing the enemy columns round Tobruk. ■ The opinion is expressed in Cairo that the German thrust was designed to disorganise the growing British armoured patrol tactics. The blazing heat is still increasing, and is likely to militate against widespread operations.