R.A.F. IN MIDDLE EAST

Evening Post, Volume CXXXII, Issue 49, 26 August 1941, Page 8

R.A.F. IN MIDDLE EAST

NUMEROUS OPERATIONS

TRIPOLI BLASTED

(Rec. 1 p.m.) RUGBY, August 25. A Middle East communique states that during Saturday night a large force of R.A.F. heavy bombers dropped nearly twenty tons of bombs- on the docks and supply and petrol dumps at Tripoli. Many direct hits were obtained, and the bombs started more than thirty large fires, one of which was visible 135 miles away. After the bomb attack our aircraft machinegunned objectives in the harbour area and the aerodrome at Mellaha. The attack was carried out from a very low level. . During the same night other aircraft bombed enemy encampments in the Sollum, Bardia, and Gambut areas. Medium bombers attacked two enemy schooners and escort vessels, each of about 800 tons, in the Gulf of Sirte yesterday. One schooner and an escort vessel were sunk and the remaining. ship was left with a heavy list, apparently sinking. R.A.F. fighters in the Mediterranean yesterday intercepted a number of Junkers 88's, which attempted to attack our shipping, and shot one down into the sea. Photographs taken on reconnaissance show that the damaged merchant vessel attacked at Tripoli by bombers on Thursday night had • her back broken and was sunk. Enemy positions were bombed in the Debarch area, Abyssinia, yesterday, and bodies of troops were machinegunned on roads in the same'area. All our aircraft returned safely from all these operations.—B.O.W.