RIF. BOMBS WRECK ITALIAN 'PLANES

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 144, 19 June 1940, Page 9

RIF. BOMBS WRECK ITALIAN 'PLANES

IN EAST AFRICA.

Enemy Night Raids On Air And Naval Bases. BRITISH OFFENSIVE IN LIBYA. United Press Association.—Copyright. (Received 10 a.m.) LONDON, June 18. A Royal Air Force communique at Cairo states that further raids were carried out in Italian East Africa on June 17. Massawa Avas bombed twice and fires were started in the compound near fuel dumps.

A defence post was destroyed in the course of a reconnaissance of the Asmara and Gura area and three enemy aircraft on the ground were destroyed. A hangar was set on fire. All the British 'p.'anes returned.

The South African Air Force attacked Bardera, a village in Italian Somaliland, and hit the barracks and a radio station. Four enemy 'planes were destroyed.

From Nairobi it is reported that eight Italian aircraft were damaged and three destroyed by fire in a series of heavy bombing raids carried out by unite of the Rhodesia-n and South African Air Forces in Southern Abyssinia on Sunday, states a British official wireless message.

Aerodromes at Xagwelli and Avello were heavily punished, as well as an entrenched camp at Mega, where troops, transports, hangars, wireless stations, and also airmen and soldiers walking on the aerodrome were all taken unawares and bombed and machine-gunned. One enemy 'plane was shot down over Malta, which was little damaged by further Italian raids. Eight Italian 'planes were damaged and three destroyed in raids on southern Abyssinia. Troops and transports were bombed. Italians Claim Successes. A Rome communique saye that during the night of June 16-17 the Italian aircraft successfully bombed the naval base at Bizerta, in Tunisia, military objectives in Corsica and Malta, and airfields and ports in Corsica. Submarines sank two enemy tankere. It is added that military operations in North Africa have been continued along the Italian frontier of Cyrenaioa. It is authoritatively etated from Cairo that British troops operating in Libya took prisoner over 600 of the enemy, including 200 Italians. Twelve tanks and seven field guns also were captured. 100 Enemy Tlanes Destroyed. The repeated raids by the Royal Air Force on Italian baeee have resulted in the destruction of nearly 100 enemy aeroplanes.

"Our armoured units routed the Italians, who were observed on Sunday night bringing up armoured reinforcements to the frontier southward of Solium, on the Mediterranean coaet," says the "Daily Telegraph" correspondent with the Britieh forces in the western desert.

"Twenty-eight Italian tanks moved up, and British tanke went out to meet them. We captured 11 tanks, three guns and two senior officers."