HEAVY DESTRUCTION BY R.A.F. AT TRIPOLI

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 206, 1 September 1941, Page 7

HEAVY DESTRUCTION BY R.A.F. AT TRIPOLI

SHIPS, OIL TANKS Air Offensive Increases In Strength Brit Hi omoial WirW.vs*. Rec. 2 p.m. RUGBY. Aug. 31. Air attacks on enemv shipping arc the most important feature of th>latest R.A.F. Middle Fast communique. which states: "Bomber aircraft of the R.A.F. carried out a heavy raid on Tripoli during the night of August 20-30. Some 2■"> tons of bombs were dropped, and at the end of tho bombing the whole of the Spanish quay was on fire, with great clouds of smoke, apparently from an oil store, rising into the air. "Two ships, one of SOOO tons and the other of ;>()()() tons, were hit and set on fire. One of these vessels was later seen to be ablaze from stem to stern. Some time later the smaller ship exploded. Hits were also scored on another medium sized ship, which subsequently started burning. Three fires broke out on the Karamanli mole and from one of them the flames, which were visible from a great distance, rose hundreds of feet into the air. The fires spread along the mole to a petrol depot, where an explosion took place, followed by another extensive fire. Other small fires were observed on the quavsidc and loading wharves. "A reconnaissance on tho following day showed that a merchantman of 8000 tons outside the harbour was on fire from stern to funnel and two other ships of 5000 tons each were in the harbour. One was burnt out and the other was alight at two points, rhe fires at the base of the Karamanli mole were still burning. "At Bengasi a low level attack was made on a ship at the .luliana mole and a cloud of white smoke was seen. After the attack aircraft concentrated on the Berka aerodrome were machine-gunned. Aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm bombed store dumps north of Bardia and ?evera' fires were started. "During the night of August 2M-:;e drcraft of the Fleet Air Arm win bed Gerbini aerodrome. in Sicily, and carried out a machinegunning attack. Other aircraft of he Fleet Air Arm located a me;•hant ship of SOOO tons escorted hv lestroyers off Sicily and attacked the :onvoy. The merchant ship is lelieved to have been hit by a : orpedo. ; "Yesterday Blenheim aircraft of; he Royal Air Force bombed the >owcr houses of the munition fac- . ories at I.icata. in Sicily, and obtained a number of direct hits on ' ■ach target. Clouds of smoke were ;een and the debris was thrown high 1

: into the air. Considerable damage ' was done. Aircraft of the Royal Air . i Force and the South African Air 1 Force bombed and machine-gunned 1 enemy fortified positions at 1 : Debareeh, in Abyssinia, on August 1 29 and again yesterday, direct hits ; being observed on the forts, huts i , and trenches. From all these opera- , J tions one of our aircraft is missing." 1 In the Tobruk area one Empire ' patrol attacked an enemy post with ; bayonets, inflicting casualties. During ! the day there was a fair amount : ;of enemy snellfire. An enemy air : raid resulted in no damage. In the frontier area there was ' some exchange of artillery lire.