BRITISH GUNS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20452, 13 January 1941, Page 5

BRITISH GUNS

POUNDING TOBRUK FRESH ARTILLERY GRAZIANI INACTIVE NO SIGNS OF RELIEF v;\f. i ROYAL AIR FORCE RAIDS TANKS SHOW QUALITY (Elec, Tel. —United Press Assn.) (Re<k Jan. 13, 11.50 a.m.) LONDON, Jan. 12. The artillery duel continues at Tobruk, where the British are still bringing up new guns and other equipment. Royal Air Force fighters on patrol are constantly over the supply lines and also to the west of Tobruk, but there is little Italian activity. Marshal Graziani shows no signs of attempting to relieve the Tobruic garrison.

A Cairo communique issued to-da> states that me preparatory activities in the Tobruk area are continuing, on tne Sudan ironuer British patrols have again been active. Operating east of Uailabat British troops carried out successful raids on Italian positions, inflicting a number of casualties. A Cairo communique issued yesterday stated that in the Tobruk area the operations were progressing satisfactorily. On the Suaan-Kenya frontiers vigorous action by our British patrols was, continuing. The British United Press correspondent with the British forces says that the shelling of Tobruk nas been intensined m the last 24 hours. Fresh artillery units have gone into action. Flying columns which cut off the road between Tobruk and Derna are now operating further to the westward towards Benghazi. Aerodromes Bombed A Royal Air Force Middle East communique states that during tne mgnt oi January 9-10 Royal Air Force bombers raided enemy aerodromes at Benina and Berka. At Benina they bombed a runway and hangars and other buildings. Dispersed aircraft were, also hit. Fires and explosions were caused. A number of enemy aircraft was destroyed at Berka as a result of the bombing, and considerable damage was done to barracks, hangars and other aerodrome buildings. Our British fighters maintained constant patrols over the Tobruk and Derna areas on Friday. No conclusive engagements were made with the enemy. In Italian East Africa, attacks were made on the Caproni worxsnops at Mai Adaga. Fires were started in the target area. At Asmara a large number of bombs were observed to burst among buildings, causing heavy explosions, while in the Tashai Tessenei rrea dive-bombing attacks were carried out on troop concentrations.

Fires Spread Quickly

The aerodrome at Mavello, Abyssinia, was attacked on Thursday by South African aircraft. A large number of bombs were dropped in the •target area, resulting in fires which spread rapidly over the aerodrome. Two aircraft were destroyed and others undoubtedly damaged. Numerous reconnaissance flights, from which most valuable data was obtained, were carried out. From all these operations, and including other operations in Albania, the British aircraft returned safely. A Nairobi communique states that on Thursday British troops entered Buna Turbi and the Turbi hills completely unopposed. No contact was made with the enemy in these areas. Enemy infantry and transport were successfully bombed at Dobel Dando. Remarkable features of the fighting in the El Wak district, as revealed in messages from Nairobi, illustrate the quality of the British tanks. One tank was hit directly by a shell, but showed oiily a short crack in the plating. Another had to pull up for a few minutes with clutch trouble, right in front of the Italian defence line. Machine- ' gtm b"ullets thudding against the tank glanced off, while a 75-millimetre gun was trained upon it, but the only mark was where bullets smashed through the glass aperture in front of the driver’s pew.