A SUMMARY OF THE SITUATION

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 85, 4 January 1941, Page 10

A SUMMARY OF THE SITUATION

In order to bolster up the weakened Italian strength in the -Mediterranean and .Middle East the Axis air policy has made a sudden turnabout. Instead of Italians reinforcing the Germans the opposite is now the case, according to an official announcement in Rome, and the Italian bombers that were used against Britain are also being returned. The land situation of the Italian forces remains acute, in the slow retreat in Albania their defence line centred near Kelcyra, winch was claimed to be impregnable, has been broken at so many points tn<U future reliance on a line north of Valona is now considered certain. In the-Western Desert the Bardia garrison is apparently saving its resources to meet the expected British assault. British units continue operating between Bardia and Tobruk in the west, and, according to an Italian account, they have been attacking a position neat the lion tier SO miles to the south • .An intense and prolonged attack was made by Nazi raiders on Cardiff on Thursday night. ' The all clear was sounded in the London area before midnight. I The R.A.F. delivered a violent attack on Bremen for the second night running and also raided Emden. On the nights of both Wednesday and 1 hursday bombs wete dropped in Eire. Two landed in a Dublm district, damaging a num ber of houses and injuring several people. The Press describes these raids as deliberate. There is no full black-out in Eire and thus the country must stand out in contrast with Britain. Survivors from the Rangitane in their accounts of the raiders attack reveal that the enemy savagely shelled the liner without giving warning or a prior opportunity to the passengers and crew to take to the boats, perpetrating one of the most infamous acts in sea wailme. Later as prisoners the survivors, who included a number of wounded women and children, were treated “with courtesy.’’ but many suffered severely, pent in the raider in primitive conditions.