THE MIDDLE EAST

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 4, 4 July 1940, Page 11

THE MIDDLE EAST

AIR AND LAND ACTIONS

DESERT FIGHTING

ITALIAN CLAIMS DENIED

(U.P.A. and Official Wireless.) (Received July 4, noon.)

LONDON, July 3

A communique issued in Cairo states: "Sidi Barrani and Mersa Matruh were again bombed on Monday, but there were no casualties and the damage was negligible. In Somaliland a frontier post at Bosanlino held by regulars was engaged by a detachment of the Camel Corps on Sunday. Casualties were inflicted. We ilost one Somali killed.

"R.A.F. bombers, operating from the Sudan, attacked an Italian military concentration at Metemma with satisfactory results. Fires were started in the native troop quarters and machine-gun and artillery posts were severely damaged. Our aircraft encountered heavy machine-gun fire, but all returned safely. "Aircraft of the Rhodesian squadron of the R.A.F. carried out yesterday afternoon a raid on a military concentration in the Moyale area, scoring several direct hits and causing considerable damage." The Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Mr. R. A." Butler, answering a question in the House of Commons, said that there was evidence of strong potential resistance in Abyssinia.

Today's Italian communique claims that strong British forces, attacking at Metemma, were put to flight by a vigorous counter-attack and left behind 60 dead and a number of machineguns. The facts are that - a force amounting to about a company, with some Abyssinian irregulars, attacked an Italian force of about a battalion. Our casualties were one killed and ten wounded. No machine-guns were lost. The Italian losses were about three times this number, including three Italian officers.

A communique issued in Cairo by British Headquarters in the Middle East states: "Tanks, artillery, and aircraft are participating in a battle in the scorching desert in the Capuzzo area, where the Italians are making their first serious attempt to retaliate after the initial British advances.

"The Italians, it is believed, are attempting to capture Sollum, because their propaganda features this tiny, battered village as an important naval base and frontier junction. The Italians are employing much more powerful effectives than they had hitherto."

An Italian communique states that strong British forces violently attacked the Italian garrison at Metemma in Italian East Africa. The Italians vigorously counter-attacked. A subsequent air raid did no damage. Antiaircraft guns shot down two British planes. Italian aviation again successfully bombed air and naval bases at Aden.

It is. stated unofficially in Cairo that Royal Air Force planes had destroyed at least 60 Italian planes up to June 30. Twenty-five others are believed to have been lost. The R.A.F. losses are very small. An R.A.F. communique states that Air Force fighters carried! out an operation against Macaca aerodrome, which was heavily bombed and ma-chine-gunned. A bomb dump was directly hit, and a fierce blaze followed a heavy explosion. Subsequently two petrol dumps were set on fire.

Two enemy fighters were shot down and a grounded machine was destroyed. All the British planes returned.

Malta reports that in a heavy enemy air raid this morning one raider was shot down in flames.