TELLING BLOWS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 212, 8 September 1941, Page 7

TELLING BLOWS

AXIS BASES BOMBED Continuous R.A.F. Activity Over North Africa British omc.ial Wireless. Rec. 1.30 p.m. RUGBY. Sept. 7. A R.A.F. Middle East communique states: "Heavy bombers of the R.A.F. attacked shipping alongside the Spanish Quay at Tripoli during Friday night. A medium sized merchantman was hit by bombs and many direct hits were obtained on the quay.

"Other R.A.F. bombers raided a number of objectives at Cyrenaica. At Derna large fires broke out and in one of these explosions took place followed by showers of sparks. A number of enemy aircraft on the ground is believed to have been destroyed. Motor transports at a camp south of Derna were also attacked and fires resulted from our bombing.

"At Matruh bombs fell among dispersed aircraft and motor transport and the glow of the fires could be seen all over the target area. Other attacks were made on Bardia and the aerodromes at El Adem.

"During Saturday night enemv aircraft attempted to raid the 'Suez Canal area. Our night fighters shot down two raiders and damaged others.

"From all these operations one of our planes is missing." Destroyer Blown l*p off Tripoli Among telhng blows delivered on the en , em y in Sicily and North Africa by the Fleet Air Arm was the blowing up of a destrover off Tripoli, announced in a Royal Air Force Middle East communique, which states: "Aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm torpedoed and destroved an enemy destroyer outside Tripoli harbour. In addition a large merchant ship was bombed and hit."

The Italian liner Esperia, of 11.398 has been torpedoed and sunk off Tripoli by one of our submarines. The Esperia was in an exceptionally strongly escorted convoy, the escorts consisting of destrovers. torpedo boats, motor torpedo boats and fiving boats. Liners of this tvpe are used by the enemy as troopships.

An Admiralty communique savs one of our submarines in the Central Mediterranean made a successful attack on a southbound enemy convoy between Taranto and Bengasi, and a ship of the Ramb class was torpedoed and sunk.

The Ramb class of ships are fast vessels of just under 4000 tons and are capable of 181 knots. One of them was sunk by H.M.S. Leander six months ago. when it was acting as a commerce raider in the Indian Ocean.

An official Cairo communique states that at Tobruk there was intermittent enemy shellfire during most of the day. Our own artillery bombarded part of the enemy position, completely destroying three small posts. In the frontier area one of our patrols carried out a successful shoot against an enemy armoured car patrol.

RECORD ACHIEVEMENT Anti-Aircraft Brigade In Britain ACCURACY OF FIRE Briii#li Official Wireless. Rec. 11 a.m. RUGBY, Sept. 7. A remarkable achievement in accuracy and efficiency of anti-air-craft guns has been recorded on an aircraft propeller in the headquarters of an anti-aircraft brigade in south-east England, which has shot down 200 enemy aircraft. The names of the types destroyed have been scratched on the propeller. It is doubtful if. in the history of the world, any other brigade has yet attained that figure.

Most of tne successes were achieved during the Battle of Britain when the personnel consisted almost entirely of territorials. During the the best day 16 German aircraft were destroyed, and in one threeday period 30 raiders were shot out of the sky. One gun site accounted for three planes in two minutes— two with one salvo and later one on the same day. Another site shot down a Messerschmitt 109 with its first salvo although the aircraft was over five miles up.

After one detachment had brought down a high level bomber, they were able to crash a dive-bomber with direct hits over open sights when they were attacked.

WEEK'S AIR LOSSES AXIS :tB, R.A.F. 46 Rec. 2 p.m. RUGBY, Sept. 7. Seen in relation to the intense unremitting offensive against German and German-controlled military and industrial objectives during the continuing period of German inactivity over Britain. R.A.K. losses of aircraft during the week ending on Saturday bear a very favourable comparison with the Axis losses for the same period.

Over Britain Germany lost four machines and the R.A.K. nil Over Europe the Germans lost 14 fighters and the R.A.F. 11 fighters and 28 bombers.

In the Middle East the Axis losses were 20 and the R.A.F. 7. Total: Axis :?s. R.A.F. 46.

THREE AIRMEN SAVED AWARD TO MAX AMI WIFE Rec. 12.30 p.m. RUGBY, Sept. 7. A Nottinghamshire farmer, Mr. Harry Broadberrv. and his wife Amelia, both received the British Empire Medal in the latest list of awards. When an aircraft manned by a Polish crew crashed and caught fire he and Mrs Broadberrv heard the fall and hurried to the scene. They went first to the assistance of the two badly injured pilots lying close to the burning aircraft.

With the aid of two members of the crew who were in a very dazed condition, they dragged the injured men clear of the flames. The reargunner was trapped in the turret and Mr. Broadberrv obtained an axe and worked in intense heat for an hour and a half before he extricated the gunner. In this he had the assistance of his wife who had rendered first aid to the injured pilots. During this time the petrol tanks blew up and the ammunition was continually exploding.

Mr. and Mrs. Broadberrv showed .complete disregard for their own safety and as a result of their courage and endurance three lives were saved.