MIDDLE EAST

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 August 1941, Page 6

MIDDLE EAST

ITALIAN ATTACK FAILS. RUGBY, August 11. A communique issued by Cairo Headquarters states: During the night of August 9/10, Italian troops delivered an attack against one of our posts on the outer perimeter of the defence at Tobruk- The attackers were allowed to approach within 300 yards, when they were killed almost to a man by the heavy defensive fire from our artillery and machine-guns. In the frontier areas, yesterday, our patrols successfully engaged patrols of hostile armoured fighting vehicles, which subsequently were xorced to withdraw by the accuracy of our artillery fire.—B.O.W.

AERIAL OPERATIONS.

RUGBY, August 11

An R.A.F. Middle East communique states: On the night of August 9/10, Blenheims attacked gun-repair shops at Bardia, starting a number of large bright fires. The enemy landing grounds at Gazala were also bombed and machine-gunned. Yesterday, Maryland bombers of the S.A.A.F. carried out attacks on enemy positions, motor-vehicles, and personnel in the neighbourhood, of Bardia.

On August 9, R.A.F. bombers demolished barracks and blockhouses south of Misurata, and also attacked enemy motor transport vehicles and petrol trailers in the same neighbourhood. All the trailers were holed by machine-gun bullets, and several lorries were overturned and destroyed. The formation then attacked two large ammunition supply dumps, which were scattered, and the personnel standing by were killed or wounded. Aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm made a torpedo attack on a large merchantman at Syracuse, on August 9. A quantitiy of bombs were also dropped at Augusta, one making a direct hit on a gasometer. From these operations, all our planes returned safely.—B.O.W. PLANE’S DESTRUCTIVE RAID. RUGBY, August 10. A Glenn Martin aircraft piloted by a Canadian flight lieutenant has shot up 12 motor' transport vehicles and inflicted about 100 casualties on enemy personnel in a low-level attack on a camp near Bardia. The crew were members of one of the most famous Western Desert squadrons, the personnel of which includes Free French, South Africans, and Australians.

The pilot, who comes from Vancouver, said: “We came down very low from above the house tops when we swept over for the first time. We went out to sea and in my next run over the coast I saw a camp. I dived down on it with my guns going, and the rear gunner was blazing away as well. Soldiers were standing in little groups of 12 to 15, near their tents. They seemed petrified by the speed of our attack and they just stood there, but I could see others diving for trenches as the bullets spurted among them. I had one glimpse of four men jammed in the doorway of a dug-out. We straffed all the motor transport we could see and when one vehicle was hit the back fell out and a number of men toppled to the ground. When I lifted her nose and headed . for home I could see at least 12 vehicles damaged and about 100 men either killed or wounded.”

JAPANESE TREACHERY (Rec. 12.30 p.m-fLONDON, Aug. 11. Japanese agents have been sending information to the Axis Powers through the Japanese Legation in Cairo, states the “Daily Herald s Cairo correspondent. The Japanese Consul at Port Said was arrested several weeks ago, for photographing air-raid damage in the Canal zone. As a result, Japan is no longer permitted to send a diplomatic bag from Cairo.—U.P.A.