HARD AT IT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 26 August 1941, Page 5

HARD AT IT

R.A.F. IN MEDITERRANEAN ENEMY SHIPS SUNK OR DAMAGED. TRIPOLI AGAIN WELL BLASTED. LONDON. August 25. More enemy ships have been destroyed in the Mediterranean by the R.A.F. Off the North African coast an enemy schooner and an escort vessel have been sunk and a second schooner severely damaged. Twenty tons of bombs were dropped on the docks and supply and petrol dumps in a R.A.F. raid on Tripoli. One large fire could be seen 135 miles away. The British planes also machinegunned objectives in the harbour area and on the nearby aerodrome from a low level. An enemy merchant ship damaged on Thursday night has sunk. Fighters intercepted German planes attempting to attack shipping and shot clown one. None of our planes are missing. AIANV TARGETS ATTACKED ON LAND & SEA. NO BRITISH PLANES LOST. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day. 10.27 a.m.) RUGBY, August 25. A R.A.F. Middle East communique states:— "During Saturday night a large force of R.A.F. heavy bombers dropped nearly 20 tons of bombs on docks and supply and petrol dumps at Tripoli. Many direct hits were obtained and the bombs started more than 30 large fires, one of which was of such magnitude that it was still visible 135 miles away. After the bomb attack our aircraft machine-gunned objectives in the harbour area and the aerodrome at Mellaha. The attack was carried out from a very low level. "During the same night other aircraft bombed enemy encampments, in the Solium, Bardia and Gambut areas. "Medium bombers attacked two enemy schooners and escort vessels, each about 800 tons in the Gulf of Sirte yesterday. One schooner and an escort vessel were sunk and the remaining ship left with a heavy list, apparently sinking. "R.A.F. fighters in the Mediterranean yesterday intercepted a number of Junkers 88s which attempted to attack our shipping and shot one down into the sea. “Photographs taken on reconnaissance show that a damaged merchant vessel attacked at Tripoli by bombers on Thursday night had her back broken and had sunk. “Enemy positions wore bombed in the Debarch area of Abyssinia yesterday and bodies of troops were ma-chine-gunned on the roads in the same area.

“All our aircraft returned safely from all these operations.”