OPERATIONS IN CYRENAICA

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23263, 25 February 1941, Page 9

OPERATIONS IN CYRENAICA

AUSTRALIANS MOVE TO SOUTH FREQUENT ATTACKS BY GERMAN AIRCRAFT (UNITED TRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT.) (Received February 24, 7 p.m.) CAIRO, February 23. Australian troops have now moved many miles south of Benghazi to join famous British cavalry regiments in forward patrols in the desert country running to the southern border of Cyrenaica. Here spasmodic contact is being made with forward enemy mobile units, German air activity has been strong in this area and dive-bombing has been frequent, together with attempted machine-gunning of troops and convoys. German air activity over Benghazi has been fairly consistent, and the town and harbour are being bombed. The Italian Air Force has literally disappeared from the skies. A German communique says that German bombers in the Mediterranean area bombed Benghazi and bombed and machine-gunned two aerodromes and troops. ITALIAN SHIPS SUNK BRITISH SUBMARINES’ SUCCESSES (BRITISH OFFICIAL V7IREXF-53.) * \ RUGBY, February 23. British submarines in the Mediterranean continue to operate against Italy's communications with her overseas armies and several successes have recently been achieved, states an Admiralty communique. The submarine Upholder has sunk two enemy supply ships, one of about 8000 tons and the other of about 5000 tons. The Rover has sunk an Italian oil tanker, and the Regent has sunk an Italian supply ship, almost certainly the 2472-ton Citta di Messina. The submarine Utmost attacked an escorted convoy and hit a supply ship of about 8000 tons with a torpedo. This ship was later seen in a sinking condition with the stern awash and deserted by the convoy’s escort. The submarine Truant attacked an enemy convoy by gunfire and obtained shell hits on one enemy supply ship. In another attack the Truant sank the largest ship of a convoy, a vessel of about 3500 tons, by a torpedo. It is now established that the submarine Triton, the loss of which was announced on January 28, previously accounted for two Italian supoly ships, one of which was about 8000 tons. ATTACKS ON HOSPITAL SHIP CONDUCT OF ENEMY IN MEDITERRANEAN (BRITISH OFFICIAL WIRELESS.) RUGBY, February 23. The standard of conduct exhibited by the enemy in warfare in the Mediterranean area has undergone a marked change since it became necessary for Germany to render assistance to Italy. On two occasions recently, states an Admiralty communique, the hospital ship Dorsetshire has been attacked by German aircraft. Fortunately she was not hit on either occasion. The Dorsetshire was clearly marked as a hospital ship and her identity as such has been made known to the enemy in accordance with the requirements of international law. Malta was the subject of enemy air attack on many occasions during the first seven months of the war against Italy, but in no raid were, deliberate attacks made upon hospitals. Since the appearance of German aircraft in the central Mediterranean, the Intarfa Hospital at Malta has been deliberately attacked. It will be remembered that on January 31 a merchant ship evacuating Italian prisoners of war from the Libyan coast was attacked by two enemy aircraft, believed to be German.

When the British Army of the Nile captured Benghazi, the Italians announced that they surrendered the town in order to avoid the possibility of damage to private property and loss of lives among the citizens, who included a large number of Italians. Benghazi has since been subjected to recurrent indiscriminate air attacks which have caused loss of life among the civilian population and damage to property and residential quarters.' GERMAN TREATMENT OF PRISONERS “FOOD NOT FIT TO EAT ” (BRITISH OFFICIAL WIRELESS.) RUGBY, February 23. A high French officer who was captured in Norway, but managed to escape from Germany across the Balkans to join the Free French forces in the Middle East, has, in an interview, given revealing details of French war prisoners. He said that they were underfed and that the food was not fit to eat. A French peasant would not feed his pigs with it. “It is just enough to keep one alive but not to keep one in health,’’ he said. French artd Polish prisoners were made to work like horses. They worked 14 hours a day and during the lunch hour. Their clothes were confiscated and given to German workers. He had seen some of them made to work m the depths of winter sockless, hatlcss, and wearing only a cotton shirt and shorts. Every effort was being made to break down their morale by antiBritish propaganda. "The German propaganda is such,” said the officer, “that I myself really believed the French Fleet had already been handed over to Germany when I managed to escape.”