DESERT PATROLS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20900, 28 September 1942, Page 3

DESERT PATROLS

EGYPTIAN FRONT HEAVY AXIS SEA LOSSES BRITISH SUBMARINES (British Official Wireless.) (11 a.m.) RUGBY, Sept. 27. A Middle East General Headquarters’ communique issued in Cairo records patrol activity and artillery exchanges on the northern sector. On Friday two enemy bombers were destroyed over the oasis of Kufra and, on the same day, our fighters, operating from Malta, shot down an Italian plane near Kuriat Island. “Our bombers on Friday night attacked targets at Tobruk, Solium, Maaten, Bagush, and long-range fighters successfully attacked transport between Bardia and Tobruk.

“During an offensive patrol over Sicily, we shot down a Messerschmitt. A Junkers was shot down in the vicinity of Suez yesterday. From the above and other operations two of our aircraft failed to return.”

A communique issued in Cairo states that during Thursday night our patrol activity continued on the whole front. On Friday there was nothing to report from our land forces.

On Friday night our medium and light bombers successfully attacked enemy landing grounds in the Sidi Haneish area. Yesterday our fighterbombers raided enemy transport in the battle area and long-range fighters shot up the Sidi Barrani-Mersa Matruh road. When Spitfires attacked a high-flying enemy fighter formation approaching the Malta coast yesterday morning two planes were 'shot down, both by one British pilot. Thursday night was quiet. His Majesty’s submarines in the Mediterranean have inflicted further heavy losses on enemy sea communications, states an Admiralty communique. Five enemy supply ships have been sunk, two probably sunk, and one hit by a torpedo and seriously damaged. One of the vessels sunk and one of those probably sunk were large ships. All the others were supply ships of medium tonnage. These recent successes have been achieved by five submarines.