POUNDED BY R.A.F.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 62, Issue 43, 1 December 1941, Page 5

POUNDED BY R.A.F.

TWO HUNDRED SORTIES A DAY

HEAVY RAID ON NAPLES. LONDON, Correspondents at advaffcqd bases say that the Royal Air Force is making 200 sorties a day. The Italians at Solium must now be short of leaders as a result of a visit by Hurricane bombers to a staff conference there. The Hurricanes sighted between 20 and 30 staff cars drawn up in a large circle, in which were two trestle tables surrounded by staff officers. The leading Hurricane bomber picked the tables as° bis objective and flew in so low that the pilot could see maps on the tables. His bombs landed in tlio middle of them. Other pilots blew up the staff cars. Little remained undestroyed. "Widespread offiensive operations, including a heavy raid on Naples, are recorded in a Royal Air I orce communique, which states: “Continuous attacks on enemy motorised forces, encampments, stores, and land communications were maintained by our fighter and bomber aircraft in Libya on Friday. Transports Destroyed. “Motor transport at Martub and on the Trigh-Capuzzo, Bardia-Tobruk, and El Gubbi-Faida roads, as well as in. the Barcc and El Gazala areas were successfully attacked. “Bombs burst among vehicles and tanks in the Trigh-Capuzzo area, while in the Martuba area fires broke out among enemy transport. Violent explosions followed an attack on the El Gubbi-Faida road. “Free French bombers were again active, and in an attack on the north landing ground at El Gazala one large aircraft was destroyed and others damaged. “Daring Thursday night raids were carried out on the landing ground at Derna and on enemy transport near Sidi Omar. At Derna, fires broke out among dispersed aircraft, and enemy tents round the aerodrome were ma-chine-gunned. Two groups of enemy vehicles were set on fire at !Sidi Omar.

Fighter aircraft made a series of successful attacks over a battle area. In one attack an ammunition lorry was blown up by machine-gun fire, and a Messerschmitt 110 was shot down. “An effective raid on military objectives at Naples was made on Thursday night. Direct hits were scored on the Royal Arsenal, the torpedo factory, industrial installations, oil - storage tanks, the railway 'station, engine sheds and marshalling yards. Many fires broke out. The aerodrome at Castel Benito, in Sicily, were also attacked. “In the Central Mediterranean on Friday, four bombers attacked- a large merchant vessel from a low level and obtained at least five direct iiits. Fires broke out on the ship and clouds of smoke wore visible for 50 miles.

“From these and other operations seven of our aircraft are missing.”