ENTIRELY FALSE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 June 1942, Page 4

ENTIRELY FALSE

FANTASTIC ITALIAN CLAIMS REGARDING MEDITERRANEAN BATTLE. ALLIED OPERATIONS COMPLETED WITHOUT LOSS. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, Noon.) RUGBY, June 16. A combined Admiralty and Air Ministry communique reveals the complete inaccuracy of Italian claims to have sunk cruisers and damaged a battleship and an air-craft-carrier in operations between Sicily and the African coast. The communique says: “The Royal Navy and the Merchant Navy, with the co-operation of the R.A.F. and the United States Army Air Corps have delivered supplies to the garrisons of Malta and Tobruk. The operations have been carried through in face of very heavy attacks by superior enemy naval and air forces and completed without loss. Fantastic enemy claims are without any foundation. Loss and damage have also been inflicted on the enemy by the Navy, R.A.F. and United States planes. One 10,000-ton 8-inch gun cruiser of the Trento class was sunk. At least two enemy destroyers were sunk and heavy losses were injposed on the enemy air forces.” Fuller official details of this action are contained in a special R.A.F. communique, issued in Cairo today, which states: “For the past four days, the Allied Air Force has been supporting naval operations in the Central and Eastern Mediterranean. On the evening of June 14, an Italian force, ineluding two battleships and four destroyers, was sighted south of Taranto. They were shadowed and during the night were attacked by long-range torpedo aircraft from Malta and Africa. The attacks were simultaneous, and it is known that a number of hits were made on the battleships and fires caused. One Trento class cruiser was set on fire by bombs and sunk by an aircraft torpedo. One 6-inch gun cruiser or destroyer was also hit. The enemy turned northwards and during the following night was shadowed to his “On the morning of June 15 a second force of cruisers and destroyers, in the neighbourhood of Pantellaria, was attacked by torpedo aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm and R.A.F. One cruiser was hit and set on fire, and one destroyer was probably hit.” It is also officially stated that during these actions our naval forces were covered by our fighters and many bombing attacks were intercepted. On one occasion, a raid of forty Junkers 87s and Junkers 88s, escorted by more than twenty Messerschmitt 109 s, was intercepted. The enemy were compelled to jettison their bombs far from our ships. It is known that considerable losses were inflicted by our machines, but details are not yet available. NEWS IN LONDON SOME LOSSES ANTICIPATED. (Received This Day, 12.25 p.m.) LONDON, June 16. It is authoritatively stated that theie is little doubt that the Italian attack on our convoys in the Mediterranean was on a large scale and, with the enemy able to employ large numbers of shore-based planes,' some losses aie to be expected. However, until our ships unload and are safely dispersed, we are unlikely to issue a communique. » - • TALK IN ROME “GREATEST BATTLE OF WAR.” FOUGHT BY SEA AND AIR. (Received This Day, 12.25 p.m.) LONDON, June 16. The Rome radio reported that the Italian Fleet, with a powerful force of battleships and submarines, is participating in a Mediterranean battle, which has been raging since Sunday. It is almost certainly, the Rome radio states, the greatest sea and air battle of the war. A Rome communique admits the loss of a heavy cruiser in this engagement.