IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Evening Post, Volume CXXXII, Issue 38, 13 August 1941, Page 8

IN THE MIDDLE EAST

MUCH AIR ACTIVITY 0

GREAT DAMAGE, NO-LOSSES

i (Rec. 1 p.m.). RUGBY, August 12. A Middle East communique states that extensive raids were carried out by aircraft of the R.A.F. and Fleet Air Arm on enemy positions and aerodromes in Libya. during the night of August 10-11. A. particularly heavy attack was made at Benghazi, where many tons of bombs, all of which fell in the target area, were dropped on motor transport and repair sections as well as railway sidings and yards and dock installations. Four violent explosions and many fires were caused. Our bombers also machine-gunned an aerodrome south of Benghazi, and | motor transport on the Tobruk-Bardia j road was dispersed. Aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm attacked motor transport and workshops ;at Bardia. Several large bombs dropped on the workshop buildings and in the compound started fires and destroyed many mechanised vehicles. The harbour at Tripoli was again bombed. One hit on the power station I caused an explosion which was seen a hundred miles away. One of our at- ' tacking aircraft came down to a low j level and machine-gunned searchlight posts. Other aircraft of the Royal Air Force raided the landing ground at Gazala south, where fires were seen to break out. Some of the bombs burst close to aircraft. A large column of black smoke was observed. The target was also machine-gunned from a low level. During the same night Swordfish aircraft of tl^e Fleet Air Arm attacked a ship of 1300 tons in Syracuse harbour, and two direct hits with torpedoes are believed to have been scored. One caused an explosion amidships. I Aircraft also dropped bombs at the ! Gerbini aerodrome, in Sicily. i Yesterday Tomahawks of the South African Air Force shot down one of J four Me 110's encountered off the Egyptian coast, and R.A.F. Hurricane fighters shot down a Henschel 126. On Saturday aircraft of the R.A.F. bombed a collier at Lampedusa and left it sinking by the stern. Patches of oil were all that could be seen near the position on the following day. A Sunderland shot down a Dornier 24 over the Mediterranean. From all these operations our aircraft returned safely.—B.O.W. .