BRITISH NAVY SUCCESS

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21223, 20 September 1940, Page 5

BRITISH NAVY SUCCESS

OPERATIONS AGAINST THE ITALIANS DESTROYER SUNK, OTHER SHIPS DAMAGED NO CHANGE IN SITUATION IN EGYPT (Official Wireless) (Received Sept. 20, 11 a.m.) RUGBY, Sept. 19 Details of the naval operations agafnst Italians in East Africa are contained in the following Admiralty communique:— An initial report from the Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean indicates that units of the Royal Navy continue to harry the northern fiaiik of the Italian advance from Libya. On the night of September 17 one of our naval units bombarded the coast road to Solium at close range. Simultaneously other units attacked enemy concentrations at Sidi Barrani. The Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean reports that both these bombardments appear to have had considerable success. Benghazi was attacked by aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm on September 16. The Commander-in-Chief reports that during this attack one merchant ship was set on fire, one destroyer probably sunk, and several other ships damaged. Yesterday’s Italian communique admitted that a torpedoboat and pontoon had been sunk and a few fires started at Benghazi. Concurrent with these operations off the Libyan coast naval operations have been carried out in other areas. In the course of these operations no enemy naval forces could be located. In the north-eastern Mediterranean one of our convoys and escort warships were attacked by aircraft several times, but the attacks were unsuccessful. Today’s communique from headquarters at Cairo states: There is no change in the situation in Egypt. The enemy continues to consolidate his positions in the Sidi Barrani and Solium areas. There is nothing to report on the other fronts.