RENEWED ACTIVITY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20571, 3 June 1941, Page 6

RENEWED ACTIVITY

TOBRUK AND SOLLUM MIDDLE EAST REVIEW WIDE AIR OPERATIONS (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (British Official Wireless.) Reed. 2 p.m. RUGBY, June 2. A communique issued at British headquarters in Cairo states that fit Tobruk and in the Solium areas our troops have again been active. In the lakes area of Abyssinia operations are continuing. In Baghdad the situation is rapidly returning to normal and at Basra all is calm. A communique issued from Royal Air Force headquarters states that in East Africa aircraft of the South African Air Force successfully bombed and machine-gunned enemy positions and motor transport in the Gimma area, obtaining direct hits on buildings and vehicles. Royal Air Force aircraft bombed enemy troop concentrations at Debarcch and aircraft of one Free French unit bombed and machine-gunned enemy motor transport between Chelga and Azoza. During the night of May 31 our heavy bombers again attacked the harbour of Benghazi and started fires which were visible for 40 miles away.

A South African Air Force fighter shot down a German Henschel aircraft near Tobruk yesterday and machine-gunned military buildings. In Syria our bombers raided the Aleppo aerodrome arid destroyed a large twin-engined enemy aircraft by a direct hit and damaged several others.

From all these operations one of our aircraft is missing. It is learned in London that Abyssinian have been active in the neighbourhood of Lake Tsana, where they cut the road to Gondar and are continuing to harass the enemy round Chelga. Further south, British Imperial forces are making progress north-westwards from Soddu.