BEATEN OFF
AXIS ATTACKS ON MALTA CONVOY ITALIAN BATTLESHIP TORPEDOED NAVAL & AIR FIGHTING. ONE BRITISH MERCHANTMAN LOST. LONDON, March 24. An Italian battleship has been torpedoed in the Mediterranean while trying to intercept one of our convoys going to Malta. Large Italian naval forces tried and failed to stop the convoy. 1 An Admiralty communique states that last Sunday portion of our naval forces protecting a convoy bound for Malta made contact with a force of Italian cruisers which tried to destroy the convoy. Our forces at once attacked. So far no details of this action have been received but our ships drove the enemy off without damage to our ships. Later a strong Italian force, including battleships, made a second attack on the convoy. Our forces made a most gallant and determined torpedo attack. One Italian battleship was hit by one torpedo and the enemy ships then made off. Even then the convoy was not safe, as a sudden heavy gale sprang up and delayed the arrival of the convoy at Malta. This delay enabled the enemy to make a series of heavy air attacks. The worst the enemy could do did not prevent the most important supplies from reaching Malta.
The Italians have been making big claims about this action but it is known in London that not one of our warships was sunk and only one merchant ship went down, sunk in the air attack.
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Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 March 1942, Page 3
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238BEATEN OFF Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 March 1942, Page 3
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