PRESSURE KEPT UP

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 January 1942, Page 3

PRESSURE KEPT UP

ON HALFAYA PASS POSITIONS AND ON AXIS MAIN FORCES IN LIBYA. POWERFUL AND EXTENDED BOMBING. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, January 7. In Libya our forces are steadily closing in on the enemy in the Halfaya Pass (positions, which were subjected yesterday to heavy bombing attacks from the air. The enemy made little opposition by anti-aircraft gun fire. The pressure on General Rommel’s forces in an area extending from the sea to the cliffs of Jedabaya, a distance of 50 miles, is continuing and our air forces are bombing the enemy’s lines of communications, as far west as Tripoli. VIGOROUS ACTION IN SPITE OF BAD WEATHER. ATTACKS EXTEND TO TRIPOLI & SICILY. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.45 a.m.) RUGBY, January 7. The following communique was received this afternoon from the R.A.F. Middle East headquarters: ‘Tn the Libyan desert yesterday very bad weather again was encountered by our aircraft. In spite of this bombers of R.A.F. and Free French squadrons continued to attack enemy positions at Halfaya. Little anti-aircraft opposition was encountered. “During Monday night Tripoli was raided, but bad weather prevented accurate observations of the damage caused. The roads at Bueratelhsun also were attacked. “In a series of attacks, carried out on the Castel Vetrano aerodrome in Sicily on Sunday, 44 enemy aircraft were destroyed. “From these highly successful raids only one of our aircraft failed to return. “The enemy raided Tobruk harbour and the landing ground at Buemud on Monday night, but little damage was done. “From all these operations three of our aircraft, in addition to the one already mentioned, failed to return to their base.” DEVASTATING BLOW STRUCK AT AERODROME i IN SICILY. AT LEAST 44 ENEMY PLANES ' DESTROYED. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, January. 7. In recent air attacks on an aerodrome in Sicily at least 44 enemy planes were burnt out. Thirty of them were troop-carrying planes, which might have provided General Rommel’s forces with valuable reinforcements. One British plane was lost. The first attack was made by Blenheims without fighter escort and this was followed a few hours later by a large-scale onslaught lasting ror 8j hours. Great damage was done both to enemy planes and to the aerodrome. Many troop carriers and heavy bombers were destroyed and conditions on the aerodrome when the attacks ended were described as chaotic.