ITALIANS BOMBARDED

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 September 1940, Page 7

ITALIANS BOMBARDED

HEAVY TOLL TAKEN " ■ . ■ . ' - - SUPPLY-COLUMNS WRECKED R.A.F. Long Distance Attacks ■0- • * [BY CABLE —PRESS ASSN. —COPYRIGHT.]

LONDON, September 20. , While the Italians are consolidatn ing their supplies at Sidi Barrani, , they have not attempted to advance “ from Sidi Barrani, and the bombard- „ ment by the three British services p has been intensified. The Royal Air a Force is now using aeroplanes of a _ modern long-range type carrying s heavier loads. The long-distance J bombing of' Benghazi offered the first evidence of this new power. . It is officially stated that Tuesday’s J fighting was much heavier than was t at first reported. The Italians, pour- . ing into Sidi Barrani too rapidly, i made the first blunder in an excel--1 lently organised march. Both the . Royal Air Force and the British artillery caught them before they were , ready and solidly plastered the con- ■ gested troop-carriers, supply-wag- ■ gons, and tanks. The K wreckage is i too drastic to be yet estimated. ■ Light mechanised patrols simultaneously carried out a manoeuvre in ’ which they must now be the world’s 1 experts, namely, cutting in with a • j series of high-speed hit-and-run raids. Bren gun-carriers spurting across-the desert at 40 miles an hour ploughed a furrow through the long Italian column and then dashed off in clouds of dust. The Royal Air Force chose this moment for its deepest raids on Libya. For the first time it made 1000-mile return flights to Benghazi, roasting the aerodrome with highexplosive and incendiary .bombs. The Royal Air Force now has its target along the coast from Sidi Barrani to | Benghazi, and impartially by sun and by moon is bombarding the communications which Marshal Graziani must keep up'or fail. Marshal Graziani apparently has : as many troops as he can handle in 1 Egypt. He is concentrating on the j supply situation, particularly on petrol and water. Tank-waggons and barrel-laden lorries lumber across the dusty tracks. Marshal Graziani boasts that his men marched and fought with only a litre of water a day. However, in spite of i Marshal Graziani’s confidence, the , I Italians are suffering severely from | , unceasing bombardment from land, < sea, and air, which is taking a heavy t toll of men and machines, and play- 1 ing havoc among the supply convoys. z The Cairo correspondent of “The j Times” says the Italian invasion is causing a violent anti-Italian re- ? action. The people are demanding ; that the Government take a more ' active part in the war, and a move- ? menf for a clear-cut declaration of 1 war is growing daily. > Reuter reports that the Italians: have not yet reached the main Brit-11 ish defensive positions and have not * j been engaged by any but mobile units, which have successfully used guerrilla 11 tactics against them. I n

NO CHANGE REPORTED. RUGBY, September 20. A communique issued at Cairo headquarters to-day states: — Egypt: No change in the situation on the Western Desert. Other fronts have nothing to report. J — ITALIAN CLAIMS. (Recd. September 21, 11.5 a.m.) ROME, September 20. A communique states: A reconnaissance patrol bombed and sank a British submarine.

TRANS-JORDAN FRONTIER. RUGBY, September 20. On many occasions recently, broadcasts from Zeesen and Rome have spread sensational and alarming reports about the movements of Saudi Arabian troops on the TransJordan frontier, and of imminent hostilities there. An official dispatch from Trans-Jordan, which throws light upon the origin of such reports, has been made public by the Ministry of Information. It describes an incident said to be typical qf the relations which prevail between the two Arab countries. “On September 12, troops of the Trans-Jordan frontier force met a party of Saudi Arabians, advancing in an armoured lorry on the TransJordian side of the frontier. The presence of the Saudi force constituted an undoubted violation of TransJordan territory. Did there then fol-

low one of those bloody encounters in which the Roman radio delights? Not at all. The two parties sat down and discussed the matter, over cups of tea. The Saudi leader explained that he was looking for some of his camels, which had strayed. A TransJordan officer signalled for instruci tions, which were to let the armour - i ed lorry go back in peace across the ■: frontier. The two parties separated, t with every expression of goodwill.” I The efforts of enemy propaganda to ’ disturb the relations between TransJordan and Saudi Arabia are dismissed by the Ministry of Information, as being so much wasted labour.

’ In northern Africa, the British • raided Derna, Boma, Tobruk, and , Solium, causing slight damage. > .A British merchantman, damaged in the Aegean Sea, arrived at Py- ; raeus, heavily damaged and on fire, ■ and docked. We bombed enemy troops at WadiHusu, north-west of Gallabat. The British raided Diredawa and Yawalo. ROME CONFERENCE. LONDON, September 20. The Rome correspondent of the British United Press says: Herr von Ribbentrop’s visit to Rome may lead to a meeting of Herr Hitler and Signor Mussolini. The Italian spokesman emphasises that Herr von Ribbentrop’s talks are of vast importance. RAID ON ADEN. RUGBY, September 20. A message from Aden, describing an air-raid.by a single Italian air-/ craft, in the early hours of Thursday, says: Four bombs were dropped. There were no casualties, and the damage, which was slight, was caused only to one building. In a second raid, later in the same day, all the bombs fell harmlessly into the sea. Advices from Aden also refer to reliable reports reaching there from Assab and Massawa, which show that the sympathies .of the local Arabs are with Britain. They have been greatly impressed by the accuracy of the R.A.F. bombing of military targets, which proved sparing of lives of civilians nearby. From the same source, it is understood that the fires started at Assab, by the R.A.F. raids last Sunday and Monday, burned for three days.