AXIS THRUST INTO EGYPT

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23316, 30 April 1941, Page 7

AXIS THRUST INTO EGYPT

Solium Believed

Taken

FORCES HELD XJP BY SANDSTORM

(Received April 29, 11 p.m.) (U.P.A.) LONDON, April 29. A sudden and violent sandstorm is holding up the enemy .forces thrusting into Egypt from Libya. Agency reports say that visibility in some places has been reduced to 50 yards, and it is likely that conditions will become worse. An American commentator says that the sandstorm is a valuable ally to the British, since the Imperial forces are more used to desert warfare than the forces of the Axis, The enemy forces are believed to have taken possession of the port of Solium. They are being harassed by a well-known British light armoured division, and are being subjected to heavy bombing by the Royal Air Force. Enemy efforts to bring up fresh troops have failed. A Cairo communique states: There is no change at Tobruk. In the Solium area on Sunday enemy detachments which penetrated five or six miles across the frontier on the previous evening made little or no progress. Light elements of a well-known British armoured division are once again in contact with the enemy.” The British made a successful attack on German troop-carrying aeroplanes which were landing soldiers at Benina. One of the aircraft was dsetroyed by fire and others were damaged. A Royal Air Force communique recording this action says; “In Cyrenaica on Sunday the Royal Air Force continued to hamper enemy movements, bombing 'and machine-gunning troops and transport. At Benina, fighters ma-chine-gunned a number of Junkers 52 troop-carriers while they were embarking on the ground. One enemy aircraft was destroyed by fire and the remainder were badly damaged. « ANOTHER RAD) ON BREST Attacks by Royal Air Force ENEMY SHIPPING BOMBED (Received April 29, 11 p.m.) LONDON, April 29. The Royal Air Force last night again raided the docks at Brest, vfcere the two German battle cruisers, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau are still sheltering- . . . An Air Ministry communique states that Blenheim bombers of the Coastal Command’ sighted two enemy destroyers escorting supply ships off the Dutch coast yesterday morning. Defying a heavy storm'of anti-aircraft fire, the British bombers pressed home the attack from a very low altitude and their bombs were seen to strike home. Later one of the enemy warships was seen spouting a great volume of smoke, and it came to a standstill. From this gallant attack four aircraft are missing. ' - A number of Bomber Command aircraft also engaged in widespread operations yesterday. A Stirling bomber raided Emden, dropping a number of heavy, bombs and raking the docks with machine-gun fire from 1500 f§et. The bomber returned safely. The Stirling is one of the most powerful bombers in the Royal Air Force. It is capable of carrying a very large load of bombs. If has also been used in raids on Brest and Berlin.

Shipping was also attacked at several points off the coast of France and Holland, vessels of 2000 tons and 1500 tons being hit and believed sunk. Bombs were dropped on a factory and a railway yard at Meppel, near the Zuyder Zee, and other targets were the Den Holder docks arid the De Kooy aerodrome.

One aircraft of the Bomber Command is missing. Fighters destroyed an enemy bomber off the Dutch coast and one British ( fighter is missing. j Attack on Cologne s An Air Ministry communique states 1 that in daylight on Sunday the Bomber ' Command successfully bombed a fac- 1 tory west of Cologne and a military camp near Cologne. The docks at j Ijrauiden and an aeroplane at De Kooy, in Holland, also were attacked. Off ‘ ■the coast of Brittany an enemy patrol j vessel was hit with bombs and left 1 on fire. She was then listing heavily. . An offensive patrol of the Fighter , Command over ( Holland on Sunday machine-gunned positions and a supply train. No British aircraft are missing. / ' The Bomber Command’s daring daylight attack on an industrial plant in the neighbourhood of Cologne was made with the skilful use of cloud cover, states the Air Ministry. After an outward journey of nearly 300 miles the British aircraft flashed out of the clouds and dropped bombs on factory buildings and a military camp. Other aircraft swept the French coast for enemy shipping. An enemy patrol vessel of about 1250 tons was sighted a few miles south of St, Mathieu Point, and there was an immediate engagement. The ship put up a vigorous defence which continued until a heavy bomb exploded amidships. The Bomber Command’s increasing day offensives against Germany are a sign of Britain’s growing bomber strength, which will lead eventually to a 24-hour air offensive wrecking the German war machine, says the aeronautical correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph.” COMPENSATION FOR DAMAGE SCOPE OF MEASURES IN BRITAIN (8.0. W.) RUGBY, April 28. The Chancellor of the Exchequer (Sir Kingsley Wood), speaking of the work of the War Damage Commission, said that Britain had made greater provision for those suffering from enemy attack than any other country in the world. "We have made full and comprehensive provision for personal injuries and war damage, and there are many arrangements and adjustments designed to assist those in financial difficulties because of the war,” he said. "It can truly be said that no nation which : is not confident, both of its ability and determination to achieve victory, would have embarked upon such commitments and undertakings.”