PLANS DISRUPTED

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 53, 30 August 1940, Page 8

PLANS DISRUPTED

ITALIANS IN LIBYA

HARRIED BY THE BRITISH * _____ EGYPTIAN BORDER (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright.) (Received August 30, 1.30 p.m.) LONDON, August 29. The British harrying of Italians in Libya has had a more far-reaching effect than was anticipated. It is seriously disrupting Italy's plans for an offensive. The only protection for the Italians is the dispersal of their forces. Italy will probably attempt to maintain a force near the Egyptian border in order to enforce the maintenance of stronger British forces in Egypt, but it remains to be seen how far the Italians are able to bear the strain of constant naval and; aerial bombardment. j

A British war communique issued today in Cairo stated that the day was quiet on all fronts.

An Italian communique states: "Italian air formations bombed Alexandria naval base. They carried out long flights over the Suez Canal between Port Said and Ismailia, bombing the northern entrance to the Suez Canal and also the ferry service at El Kantara. Bands of Italian native troops occupied the British fort of Polignac in the region of Lake Rudolf. We bombed the railway > station at Khasam-Ghirba in the Sudan and aerodromes at Wajir and Garassa. British detachments' attempted to raid Italian territory at the boundary between the Sudan and Eritrea. They encountered a detachment of Italian colonial troops and were driven back, after bitter fighting. The British managed to carry away numerous wounded, but left behind ten dead, in addition to several machine-guns and other weapons. Italian losses were slight. Another strong British attack against Gallabat was easily repulsed."