HAMMERING AXIS SHIPPING

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 3, 29 September 1942, Page 5

HAMMERING AXIS SHIPPING

Importance In Egyptian

Campaign MUCH RAIDED TOBRUK

(By Telegraph.- —Press Assn. —Copyright.) (Received September 28, 11 p.m.)

LONDON, September 28,

Attacks against enemy, shipping will perhaps present a decisive aspect of this phase of the Egyptian campaign, says the Cairo correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph.” Since June 1 we have sunk 40 cargo vessels, representing 60,000 tons and damaged a further 80,000 tons. We have sunk six escorts and damaged at least 12 . . In the Middle East, Allied aircraft are keeping up their harassing tactics. Today’s Cairo communique says that during Saturday night our patrol activity continued and that yesterday there was nothing to report from the land forces. Air activity over the battle area was on a reduced scale. Etiemy transport and ammunition lorries were attacked on the Gambut Bardia roiid. South-west of Alexandria, an enemy raider, was shot down’ and in the Suez area a Heinkel 111 wag shot down last night. We lost one aircraft. Frequent raids on Tobruk have forced the eneniy to divert portion of his shipping to Benghazi in Libya, but Benghazi is only slightly safer as Allied longrtinge bombers have been particularly silcCessful in raids on this port.

IN ROMMEL’S REAR British Threats To Axis Organization LONDON, September 27. Atcordiiig to Rome radio the British tised 00 jeeps and 20 three-ton lorries in the recent rilids on Benghiizi, iiiannitic to take positions on the harbour and then signal to subriiaiinhs lying offshore ready to land conumindos. The raids against Tobruk, Barce, and Benghazi Were designed to destroy the Axi s land, sea, and air organization to the'rear of Rommel’s lines, says the radio. x No planes were lost, despite, intense anti-aircraft fire when the Allied forces on Saturday night again attacked enemy landing grounds in the Western Desert and also shipping inside and outside Tobruk. A column of black smoke was seen to rise after the attack on shipping'outside the harbour, and oiie violent explosion and many fires resulted from attacks oh an aerodrome in ' the Sidi Hameish area. An eneniy camp 10 miles west of Tobruk was also raided. Persistent Bombing. The Cairo communique records patrol activity and artillery exchanges in the northern sector. . “On Friday,” it says “two enemy bombers were destroyed over the Kufra Oasis, and op the same day .our fighters operating from Malta shot down an Italian plane near Kuriat Island. , ~ r „ ■. “Our bombens on the night of September 25 attacked targets at Tobruk, Solium, Maaten arid Bagush, and longrange fighters successfully attacked tran? sport On the road between Bardia and Tobruk. • .. "During an offensive patrol over Sicily we shot”down a Messerschmitt. A Junkers was shot down in the vicinity ot Suez yesterday. From the above and other operations two of our machines failed to retUAn Egyptian communique reports an air raid last night over Cairo. There were no casualties and no damage to property was done. The German communique mentions a raid last u-ght “j. an airfield near Heliopolis, near Cairo.