MAKING HEADWAY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20488, 24 February 1941, Page 6

MAKING HEADWAY

ALLIED FORCES RED SEA COAST FRENCH TAKING PART ABYSSINIAN PATRIOTS DRIVE IN SOMALILAND (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (British Official Wireless.) Reed. 1.30 p.m. RUGBY, Feb. 23. A Cairo communique issued to-day states: “In Libya there is no change in the situation. In Eritrea our columns moving down the Red Sea littoral from the north reinforced Free French forces from French Equatorial Africa, and are again making satisfactory headway, while the British forces about Keren continue preparations for the reduction of the Italian positions covering the town. “A joint force of British and Patriotic troops in Abyssinia occupied Shogahi, on the Blue Nile. An enemy counter-attack was repulsed, the Italians leaving over 150 dead. The British losses were slight. Operations Continuing

“In Italian Somaliland, British troops occupied Jumbo, near the mouth of the River Jumba, capturing prisoners and material. Operations east of the River are continuing.” A Royal Air Force Middle East communique states that further successful raids by Royal Air Force bombers resulted in considerable damage to ' enemy storage dumps and motor transport columns in the Buzi area, near Tepeleni, yesterday. In the Preveza area one of the . British fighter patrols shot down three enemy aircraft, a three-engined seaplane, which crashed into the sea, and two three-engined bombers. Bombs and Bullets

In the region south-west of Brava, south of Benghazi, bombers of the South African Air Force made heavy bombing and machine-gun attacks from a low height on enemy troop concentrations. A camp at Mega, in the Moyale region, was also bombed.

As a result of the attack by South African fighters on the Massawa aerodrome announced yesterday, fires were started among forts and buildings. At Burye the Royal Air Force bombed and machine-gunned troop positions east of the town. It is now learned that as a result of the encounter near Brava on Friday between fighters and Australian squadrons and a number of JUB7’s and MEllO’s, one JU and one ME were destroyed. From all the operations one of the British fighters is missing.