BOMBER RAIDS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 August 1941, Page 6

BOMBER RAIDS

ON ENEMY MIDDLE EAST BASES DAMAGE TO AERODROMES & HARBOURS. SUCCESSFUL BRITISH OPERATIONS. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.30 a.m.) RUGEY, August 5. A R.A.F. Middle East communique states: “R.A.F. bombers carried out a number of successful operations in Cyrenaica during the night of August 3. One formation attacked the port of Derna, causing considerable damage and starting a number of fires. Two buildings at the base of the mole were destroyed. Bombs were also dropped cn a landing ground and a battery, which was silenced. Other aircraft attacked a landing ground and dispersal area at Gazala. causing a series of explosions and several fires. Huts and a camp in the vicinity were machinegunned from a few hundred feet and about 25 tents caugnt fire. The Martuba landing ground was also bombed and fires and explosions were observed among dispersed aircraft. “An attack was delivered on enemy shipping off the coast, near Appollonia, and hits were made on one ship and possibly on another. Enemy merchant vessels were again attacked in the same area yesterday and two are believed to have been hit. “R.A.F. bombers carried out a successful attack" on shipping in the harbour of Tripoli on August 3. A merchant vessel of about 8,000 tons was hit by a heavy bomb and a violent explosion followed, throwing a great quantity of wreckage into the air. Two direct hits were obtained on military buildings, which were also machinegunned. “A reconnaissance of Reggio, in Southern Italy, showed that in the attack reported in yesterday’s communique ten Macchi 200 s and a Breda 20 were destroyed, while about twenty more Macchis were damaged, several very badly. “From the above operations all our aircraft returned safely.”