MIDDLE EAST

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 July 1941, Page 7

MIDDLE EAST

R.A.F. BOMBERS ACTIVE ENEMY SHIPPING DESTROYED RUGBY; July 16. An R.A.F. Middle East communique states: Early this morning, R.A.F. bomber aircraft successfully attacked a convoy of enemy shipping off the Tripolitanian coast. Two heavy bombs struck an 8000 ton vessel amidships, and completely destroyed it. Another ship was damaged in the bows by a direct hit. Enemy aircraft, which attempted to drop bombs on British merchant vessels off the Libyan coast yesterday, were engaged by R.A.F. fighters. Six Junkers 87’s and one Messerschmitt 109 were shot down.

- During the night of July 14/15, our heavy bombers attacked the enemy-occupied aerodromes of Eleusia and Hassani, in Greece, and Heraklion in Crete. At Eleusia, direct hits were mfide on hangars, runways, and dispersal points, causing a number of large fires and explosions. Similar results were reported at the other two objectives. On the same night, heavy bombers of the R.A.F. carried out a highlysuccessful attack on the docks and other military objectives at Messina. Several tons of high-explosives and incendiary bombs were dropped, and great, fires were started at the ferry, railhead, engine-sheds, transformer plant, buildings, and warehouses, and four lines of trucks were set ablaze. The fires were visible 60 miles distant. A number of enemy aircraft flew over the Suez Canal area, last night. One came down in the Great Bittier Lake, and another crashed south of Port Said.

From the above operations, two of our aircraft are missing. DEFENCE OF ’TOBRUK.

LONDON, July 16. A correspondent of the Associated Press of Great Britain, from inside Tobruk, writes: “I can tell the world that we are determined to stick it out, and are confident of the result.”

Thus is epitomised the spirit of Australian and British soldiers who are holding Tobruk against mighty and crack German Panzer forces. He says that a few thousand men form a threatening bulge on the side of any Axis attempt to advance towards Egynt, after more than three months. The'guns of Tobruk have seldom been stilled. The Australians are strongly entrenched behind miles of barbed wire, sweeping a semi-circle around Tobruk. They defend thgmselves aggressively against all attacks. Reliefs move up just as they did in France. The trenches are narrower than in the last war. They are so narrow that two men can barely pass. The enemy use of mortars and bombs make this necessary. There is no longer a man to every yard of gunfire. Man-power counts. There are strong points bristling with machine-guns, and antitank and tommy guns. Australians who were equipped with several days food and ammunition, cut off a recent German tank drive. They crippled many tanks and the others retreated in wild disorder. It needed all of the available troop-carrying Junkers to pick up the enemy casualties. The Australians counter-attacked on June 25, and penetrated 500 yards on a 2000-yard front, cutting a large slice off a bulging salient position. Patrols then calmly and heroically crept out through barbed wire and established listening-posts close to enemy lines. One officer climbed a telegraph post to direct machine-gun fire. A corporal, finding himself on the wrong side of an Italian post, ordered his men to charge. He smashed a field telephone with a lightning kick before the startled Italians could open fire. The Tobruk defenders appreciate the valiant work of the Navy in bringing food and ammunition, running the gauntlet of German Stuka planes and U-boats. Often during unloading operations and when drafts of men are leaving Tobruk, they climb aboard under a rain, of bombs and heavy shellfire. BRITISH RAID SUCCESS. RUGBY, July 16. The information given in an enemy communique which described the British raid at Tobruk on July 12 as a 4 ’determined attempt to break out of Tobruk.” is well supported by an account of the raid reaching authori - tative quarters in London. The raid was carried out astride the road from Tobruk to Bir el Gobi. 38 miles south of Tobruk, by a patrol of 40 men and one tank-hunting platoon -'a small body of men specialising in methods of dealing with tanks), sui>ported by artillery and machine-gun fire from positions on the perimeter. The object was to inflict casualties and secure identifications. The British inflicted over 500 casualties, and also brought back five Italian, prisoners, achieving the desired identification. No tanks were encountered. The British casualties were 10 wounded and three missing.—B.O.W. NO CHANGE. "RUGBY, July 16. What must be the shortest Middle East communique from British Headquarters in Cairo states: On all fronts, there is no change in the situations.—B.O.W. ENTRY INTO BEIRUT. LONDON, July 16. An agency report states that Allied forces started yesterday to move up to strategic points, and a force has entered Beirut. The Beirut correspondent ol i.ne “Daily Mail” says that Imperial forces are marching into Beirut behind tanks, armoured cars and mechanised units.' . General Wilson, Lieutenant-Gen-eral Lavarack, General Catroux, and representatives of the Navy and Royal Air Force will formally enter the city to-morrow, when they will be received by the civic dignitaries at the town hall. The Prime Minister (Mr. Churchill) revealed in the House of Commons to-dav that three of the English regiments that took part in the Syrian campaign were the Life Guards, the Horse Guards, and the Essex Yeomanry. A Cairo message states it has there been officially revealed that when General Dentz first -received, preliminary conditions for an armistice he said that he was willing to accept them, but that he would negotiate only with the British. General Dentz was then informed that the British could not accent such a reservation and that hostilities would continue unless it was withdrawn. General Dentz finally agreed. - and General Catroux (Free French representative) participated in the negotiations as General de Gaulle’s representative.