AFRICAN CAMPAIGN.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 37, 23 November 1940, Page 5

AFRICAN CAMPAIGN.

ELEVEN ITALIANS SHOT DOWN. SEVERAL PORTS BOMBED. LONDON, November 21 The shooting down of 11 Italian aircraft in operations over Libya, and extensive raids over Libya, Albania, and Eritrea, are reported in an Air Ministry communique issued in Cairo. Ten of the Italian planes were shot down in an engagement between 00 Italian and 15 British fighters in eastern Libya. Seven of the planes were completely destroyed, and were seen to be burning on the ground. Three others were forced down, but it could not definitely be established that they had been.destroyed. Not one of the British planes was even damaged. The other Italian aircraft was shot down into the sea by a British fighter. Three of the Italian crew parachuted and were taken prisoner, one being wounded. The other members of the crew were killed.

Assab, the Italian port of Eritrea, was bombed on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. One Tuesday night 12 separate attacks were made. Direct hits were scored on supply depots, buildings at the head of the jetty, the powei> house, where a fire was started which could be seen for 20 miles, warehouses, where three fires were started, oil tank; and naval stores. .

On the second night the was again bombed, and other supply depots were hit, the damage being ex , tensive, and the blazes from resulting fires being visible for 80 miles. Bardia and Tobruk were also bombed. Military stores at Bardia were hit, but at Tobruk the full results could not be observed because of unfavourable weather.

On the same night raids were also made on Tirana and Durazzo, in Albania. Direct hits were scored on the wharves at Tirana.

Reconnaissance flights were also made over the Italian ports of Taranto and Naples. . ,

All the British planes returned safely from these raids. A Cairo communique, giving details of the clash in the Western Desert on Tuesday between a British advance party and an Italian column, says that, five Italian medium tanks were destroyed and six severely damaged. Two lorries were destroyed and two captured, and in • addition 10 Italian and one Libyan were captured. It is definitely known that. another 108 were killed. The British sustained only small losses.

Near Gallabat, a' British patrol surprised and inflicted severe losses on an Italian column. ' -