R.A.F. OFFENSIVES

Evening Star, Issue 23865, 21 April 1941, Page 7

R.A.F. OFFENSIVES

ACTIVITY ON AFRICAN FRONTS ENEMY AERODROMES AND PORTS VIGOROUSLY BOMBED (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, April 20. (Received April 21, at 11.45 a.m,) An R.A.F. Middle Fast communique states: During yesterday and the previous night the R.A.F. continued to inflict heavy casualties and damage on enemy personnel and material in C'yronaica and Tripolitania. Motor transport vehicles were destroyed in numerous localities, including the aerodromes at El Adem aiid Bardia, by bomb and machine-gun attacks. A number of enemy aircraft were bombed and damaged at Dcrua aerodrome, and Berka aerodrome was also raided. Our fighters, which carried out continuous offensive patrols, inflicted heavy casualties on enemy motorised troops and also machine-gunned the aerodrome at Gazala, where they destroyed one S 79 and damaged a number of CR 42’s on the ground. Two ME 109’s were also shot down over Gazala by our fighters, and one was shot down and several others were damaged elsewhere. During the night of April 18-19 our bombers raided the harbour at Benghazi and obtained direct hits on a ship. They started fires on the moles and quays. On the same night a heavy raid was carried out on the harbour at Tripoli, about 15 tons of bombs being dropped. Several hits were registered on the Spanish and West Mole, while other bombs straddled shipping at the quays. In the Dessie area in Abyssinia enemy positions and motor transport were bombed and machine-gunned, and direct hits were obtained on fortifications and military buildings. South African fighters machine-gunned motor transport north of Dessie, causing considerable damage and setting fire to a number of oil tanks. From all these operations (including Greece) one of our fighters is missing.