DAMASCUS FALLS TO ALLIES

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23362, 23 June 1941, Page 5

DAMASCUS FALLS TO ALLIES

Free French Enter

City

(tJKITED PHESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT.) (Received June 22, 11.30 p.m.) LONDON, June 22. The fall of Damascus is officially announced from Cairo.

“The taking of Damascus must end the resistance of the Vichy forces in Syria,” says General de Gaulle, in a statement from Cairo.

The Free French entered Damascus at 3 p.m. on Saturday, after the most intense fighting of the campaign. Accounts from Jerusalem say that the Vichy forces contested every inch of the advance from Kiswe. They were well supported by artillery and armoured cars and subjected the Free French to fierce machinegunning from prepared positions.

“In the face of enemy pressure and in order to avoid street fighting, the French troops have evacuated Damascus and occupied positions outside the city”—this communique was issued by General Dentz in a broadcast by the Beirut radio. General Dentz has assumed all executive and legislative' powers in Syria, The Vichy Government claims that the British bombardment of Damascus caused disastrous fires in the main thoroughfare of the capital. A military spokesman in Jerusalem said yesterday that the Allies pushed tnto the main lipes of the capital’s defences under severe artillery fire. British and Indian troops who advanced against the Mezze aerodrome, a few miles from Damascus, were hotly engaged. In the south, said the' spokesman, numerically superior Vichy forces attacked the Free French in the neighbourhood of Jebel el Kleb, but the Allies " Still hold the railway and highway from Transjordan. Fierce hand-to-hand fighting was going on between Australians and Vichy troops in die houses and streets of Merijyun. The Empire troops advancing on Beirut met considerable hiacnlne-gun fire. Moscow radio reports that 80,000 Vichy troops have already been evacuated from Beirut, many on foot because of lack of transport, A British Official Wireless rhessage yesterday said that fighting continued all along the front in Syria. In the coastal sector further progress had

HEAVIEST FIGHTING OF CAMPAIGN

The Free French radio in Jerusalem also says that the Vichy troops 'are on the run. They are encountering supply difficulties, paticularly with food, which they are requisitioning from villages wthout payment. Interrogation of prisoners indicates that General Dentz, Vichy commander, has thrown in all his forces, including reserves.

Sharp fighting raged across the railway eight miles south of Damascus until the Free French captured two machine-gun posts with bayonets. ' Indian colonial troops meanwhile occupied Mezze, pushed on, and captured heights threatening the Damascus-Beirut road.

British and Australians in air attacks on the Damascus-Reyak road, chased several columns. They destroyed many of a convoy of 120 vehicles, and blocked the road.

Vichy sources say that the Allies made a threepoint attack on Damascus, throwing in large reinforcements and bombarding the city.

An agency report says that General de Gaulle’s troops in Syria number 5000, of which 1500 are Frenchmen and the rest legionnaires and natives. Ths Allied forces total between 25,000 and 30,000. i

been made. In the central am there was little change In the situation, although the Vichy resistance was gradually being worn down. Yesterday reports from Beirut claimed that British artillery was shelling the Moslem quarters in Damascus. The authorities had protested to the Iraqi and Saudi Arabian consuls drawing attention to the fact that Damascus was “the second most important city of Islam.”- It is recalled in London, however, that the French themselves shelled Damascus in 1926, destroying the famous Moslem palace. The correspondent of the British United Press with the British - forces on the Lebanese coast says that three large, fast, French destroyers are playing cat' and mouse with substantial British naval forces. The destroyers ap* patently had bean ordered to locate the Australian field artillery by drawing their fire. The destroyers darted inshore, firing, quick: salvoes, but a brisk Australian machine-gun fire was the only answer. ,It was sufficient, however,, to persuade the destroyers to put up a smolce screen and hastily retire to Beirut. - . The British Navy continues to hammer the Vichy troops regardless of : attacks from German dive-bOmberS. The warships sO far have sustained negligible damage in spite of many near misses from 10001b bombs. Prisoners taken at Saida include members of the Spanish International Brigade,

GERMANS LOSE 28 FIGHTERS

R.A.F. Offensive On Saturday

STRONG SWEEPS OVER FRANCE

(Received June 22, 10.30 p.m.) - LONDON. June 22. Twenty-eight enemy fighters were destroyed in offensive and patrol operations by the Royal Air Force on Saturday. Only five British aircraft were l os t_a bomber and four fighters—and two of the fighter pilots are safe. Twenty-six of the German aircraft were destroyed in Royal Air Force sweeps over northern France, as described in the following Air Ministry communique:— “To-day the Royal Air Force has twice carried out offensive operations In strength over northern France. Shortly after midday and again later in the afternoon squadrons of our fighters dnd bombers struck inland over Pas de Calais, while other strong forces of fighters patrolled the French coast. "In each attack enemy aerodromes were bombed—one near St. Omer in the first, and another near Boulogne in the second.

•'Whenever enemy fighters were encountered our fighters hotly engaged them, and many combats took place. Our losses in these operations were four aircraft, one bomber and three fighters. The casualties inflicted upon enemy fighters were heavy, 26 of them being destroyed.” Saturday’s sweeps were two of the largest yet made over enemy territory since Royal Air Force fighters assumed the offensive, and they proved the Fighter Command’s most successful daylight operations since the battle of Britain last autumn. u In the first sweep 11 Messerschmitt 109’s were destroyed and others were damaged. The group captain leading one of the Spitfire squadrons engaged accounted for two of them himself. In the second offensive, in the afternoon, while bombers launched a successful attack near Boulogne, the fighters destroyed 15 enemy aircraft. The pilot of one of the Royal Air Force fighters lost was picked up safely m the Channel by a rescue launchThe Spitfire and Hurricane squadrons which fought these victorious engagements were chiefly drawn from a group which played a leading part in the Battle of Britain last autumn, and the success of their operations is the more remarkable as they were fighting over enemy territory. Since the Fighter Command took the offensive in its first sweep over the occupied territory, the Royal Air Force has sent as large a number of fighters over France on many operations as the Germans sent over in the Battle of Britain. This number is rapidly increasing.

The enemy losses were made up to 28 by two fighters shot down by a fighter pilot off the east coast on Saturday evening. This pilot later had to descend by parachute, but is safe.

ALLIED LOSSES AT SEA

FIGURES ISSUED FOB

MAY

73 BRITISH VESSELS

SUNK

(8.0. W.) RUGBY, June 20. The statement of shipping losses lor May has been Issued by the Admiralty. Seventy-three British vessels, or 355,032 gross tons, 20 Allied vessels, ol 92,201 tons, and five neutral vessels ot 14,095 tons, have been lost. Once again the total tonnage lost It about half that claimed by the enemy. The enemy’s own losses for thfl month were 290,000 tons, and his total losses up to June 10 are:—German, 1,888,000 tons; Italian, 1,239,000; and shipping of countries now under enemy control. 84,000 .tons; giving a total of 3,211,000 ton^ The British and Allied losses for May are slightly less than for the last two months, and though there is no inclination to view them with anything but concern, it may be pointed out: (1) That in the month’s total are included the relatively heavy losses suffered in the Mediterranean as a result of the operations in Crete, which should not recur. (2) The fact that the German blockade of Britain has not been as successful as the enemy could have wished has caused him to alter his tactics and send his U-boats and heavy bombers further afield, and, as often results from a change of tactics, initial successes were gained.

U.S. PETROLEUM PRODUCTS

EXPORT CONTROL TO

OPERATE

ORDER ISSUED BY MR

ROOSEVELT

LONDON, June 20. By order of Mr Roosevelt, United States petroleum products have been placed under export control. Outward shipments will in future D 8 restricted to Egypt, Britain, and Latin America, and other supplies Will CMS required for the Pacific seaboard, where a shortage has occurred because of lack of transport caused by the commandeer of ships needed to carry supplies to Britain.