FAR & WIDE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 September 1941, Page 6

FAR & WIDE

BRITISH AIR ATTACKS FROM LIBYA TO ITALY. MUCH DAMAGE DONE. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.48 a.m.) RUGBY, September 2. Widespread and successful operations in the Middle East are again announced in tonight’s R.A.F. Middle East communique, which states: “Heavy bomber aircraft of the R.A.F. carried cut another raid on the harbour and shipping at Tripoli during the night of August 31. A merchant vessel was hit and is believed to have been sunk, while another ship was left, ablaze from stem to stern. Our aircraft also machine-gunned the road and railway west of Tripoli and. aerodrome buildings at Mellaha. A number of fires broke out near the railway station. “Other bombers of the R.A.F. and South African Air Force attacked shipping in Benghazi Harbour, which was l again raided by heavy bombers later in the night. Part of the attacking formation flew through the harbour defences at a low level and bombs were observed to fall close to shipping. “The landing-ground at Ras el Tin, the harbour at Bardia and store dumps at Gambut were bombed by aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm taking part in these operations.

“Aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm bombed and machine-gunned aircraft on the ground at Ghorbini and Comiso during the night of August 31. Fires visible many miles from the target were started among aircraft at Comiso. “Yesterday fighter and bomber aircraft of the R.A.F. attacked Pozzallo and. Crotone. At Pozzallo, our fighters machine-gunned a train, whose engine was last seen emitting volumes of flames and steam. At Crotone, shipping, munition factories and a railway were destroyed. Direct hits on three buildings caused violent explosions, a sheet cf yellow flame and clouds of blue and black smoke. A was hit by three bombs and developed a fire towards the stern. Quays and a seaplane flying in the vicinity were also attacked.

“From those operations two of our aircraft are. missing.”