NAVAL BOMBARDMENT OF ENEMY IN BARDIA.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 91, 18 April 1941, Page 7

NAVAL BOMBARDMENT OF ENEMY IN BARDIA.

DEADLY EFFECT

800 Prisoners Taken; Over 200 Dead Counted. r.rilUli Official WfreW*. (Re.d. -2 p.,,,.) IUIIBV. April 17. Au Admiralty i-oiniminiijue from the Cominandei-in-C'hicf, Mediterranean Fleet, reports that an exiremely sueeessful naval bombardinent of Fort Capuz/.0, in tlie Bavdia are;i, has been carried out A lan>o number of salvoes were fired and these were all seen to burst among a concentration of about 100 enemy' tank- and motor transport vehicles

The aerodrome ai Kl <i«uala and ii> Mipply dumps have a-ain lieen suae-<-fillly boinhiinli'd from tin- ~n. Briti-h naval unit- in the Mediterranean have recently shot down at lea-t (wo .(linkers SS dive-l)ombprs and damaged two other*. So daniupo or casualties have been su~ taine<l by any Isriti>h naval ships in operations.

A British enn uiii|ii<' i — iu-<l in Cairo state-. 'One of our patrol* in Libya meeessfnlly penetrated the elleuiv |'iositioii on the outside defence- of Tobruk and eajduiffl seven Italian olliceiv and Kill other ranks. A further titiack on the defences of Tobruk was repuUed by artillery lire. The enemy aan in suffered heavy casualties.

"During yesterday's operaiions a total of 2.') officers and 707 other nnik< were captured, in addition to over -Oil i-neniv dead left on the field.

"In the Solium are« patrol- have contuned their rijiorous aclhitic-. hi one encounter a con.-uderabU? Iwxly of the enemy was r;urpri-ed and su-taine<l severe ca>ualti»s. '"In Abyssinia f'nther ],;,- been made by British column* converging on Dessye. A number of additional prisoner* have been taken. Prisonerof war returned to Addw Abalxi now number .'iOOO Italian.- mid 4000 colonial A number of deserters from Italian colonial units have voluntarily formed themselves into irregular bandto co-operate with British forces. Tlie whole advance continues.

Britisli troope are now in contact with the enemy along the whole of the front in Libya, wiid an earlier Cairo communique.

The first Herman infantry attack on Tobruk on Tuctnlay. in which the attackers suffered severe loi=sos. is desoriboxl by a correspondent of the British United Press, who wa~ in the fortrws, Before the attack dust was blowing like a thick yellow fop and it wa<« difficult to s<-e a yard. The Australian infantry and Britit-h artillery men wore celluloid eve shields.

"Thou, at about 4 p.m.. "hen tlie wind had dropped and tlie dn~t had cleared, we saw about SOU German infantrymen dismount from .'>o trucks and advance in clor-e formation on the outer perimeter defence*."' -ay~ the correspondent. "Our artillery laid down a heavy barrage to prevent them from retreating. while ina'.-'iiiie-guiiners O]>ened n-ji a uitherinir fire.

"'At the same time Blenheim boinheit-dive-bombed and machine-sunned the German tanks and trucks. Our artillery <lit=pereed 12 tanks which were approaching the defejiee*. Many of the Hermans were taken prisoner."