NO ENEMY ATTACKS

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 144, 14 December 1940, Page 12

NO ENEMY ATTACKS

NAVAL FORCES OFF

LIBYA

BRITISH SEA POWER

VITAL SERVICE

(Received December 14, 1 p.m.)

RUGBY, December 13,

Commenting on the Navy's co-opera-tion with the Army and the R.A.F. in the operations in North Africa, authoritative naval circles in London state that there is no evidence that the heavy and light forces which are taking part in the bombardment of the Italian positions and lines of communications have been subjected to any enemy attack, either from the air or the sea. So far no casualties, either to ships or ships' companies, have been reported. The vital service rendered by British sea power. to the Greek army during the early days of the Italian aggression was also discussed today in authoritative London circles, where it was pointed out that when the Italians launched their attempted unprovoked invasion from Albania time for mobilisation was of vital value to the Greek army. In order to complete this quickly, open sea routes were necessary to the Greek Government, and in assuring this the British Navy played a most important part. Because the freedom of the seas in the Mediterranean had been kept by the British, the Greeks were able freely to use the sea routes, using only the protection of their own light forces. Subsequent events have done nothing to impair the supremacy of British power in that sea, and the Greek routes in the Mediterranean are free from enemy molestation.