Tripoli Harbour

Grey River Argus, 26 January 1943, Page 5

Tripoli Harbour

J ENTRANCE BEING CLEARED (Rec. 11.15) RUGBY. Jan. 2.4. Rear-Admiral Harwood told a Press representative that the Navy was busy clearing enemy ships sunk I at the entrance to Tripoli harbour. ; This did not imply that stores were I not being brought in by sea. | Rear-Admiral Harwood disclosed that, as Tripoli fell into our hands, ' British submarines in the Mediter- ■ ranean sank the millionth ton of I Axis shipping. This did not include . tonnage destroyed by air and surface craft. Allied Air Attacks MAIN WEAPON. LONDON, Jan. 24. 1 A Cairo correspondent describes I how, while Marshal Von Rommel’s ■ forces streamed across the border into ’ Tunisia on Friday, the full force pf 1 Allied fighter-bombers was launched at. them. Transport was bombed and machine-gunned throughout tire day. Twenty vehicles were destroyed when bombs hit a petrol dump and five German staff cars which attempted to pass them were riddled with bullets. Many direct hits were scored on vessels in Zuara harbour. A vessel off Gabes was left ablaze ana a merchant vessel near Sfax was alLacked with machine-guns and cannon. Fighter-bombers raided Lampedusa Island and long-range fighters set fire to a small ship. Moving up almost in sight of enemy ground parties British advanced fighter units in Tripolitania are doing magnificent work in preparing new landing grounds. Never in the last few days of the advance on Tripoli has the Eighth Army been * without the co-operation of forward squadrons and this is almost entirely due to the Royal Air Force mobile columns, which strike forward to take over enemv evacuated airfields and in some cases have created a new landing ground out of scrub. One example was the way in which Allied fighters were enabled to oper- ' ate from landing grounds in the Bir Dufan area within 100 flying miles oi ! Tripoli. Aircraft and key personnel I of a complete fighter formation which includes an American pursuit group, 1 were brought forward 140 miles in “ one hop. One landing ground 1.200 yards square was serviceable three hours after the advance ground parties had selected the site. The Castle Benito aerodrome was heavily raided when the Germans were preparing to abandon it. The aerodrome was being ploughed up by the enemy, but Allied aircraft wrecked every plough and destroyed a number of aircraft. Whether the Eighth Army will halt because of the long way it has travelled is not known in London, but it is considered it will halt only if Axis

resistance is such as to require more troops to be brought up. It is assumed th e Germans did all they could to destroy the harbour installations of Tripoli, but it is recalled that Benghazi was put into order in a very short time. The immense tactical importance of Tripoli for further operations is pointed out. As soon as this first-class harbour can be used the 300 miles sea passage from Benghazi will take the place of the 500 miles haulage across the country. The aeronautical correspondent of the “Daily Herald” says: “It will now only be a matter cf days before the Eighth Army’s air force—probably the largest, strongest, and most experienced air unit outside Russia—• will be able to concentrate on Tunisia. Already Marshal Von Rommel’s retreating columns are being subjected to a non-stop air attack. Practically the entire coastline west of Tripoli is admirably suited for landing grounds, from which oven four-engined bombers can operate. Twin-engined bombers and fighters flying from any airfield in this stretch can easily strafe Tunis, SOO air miles north-west of Tripoli. Bombs and bullets will follow Marshal Rommel right into Tunisia. After that perhaps the greatest combined air offensive ever launched will begin on the Axis armies in Tunisia. There Is son to believe that the Allied air' forces in Tunisia have conserved their strength foi' that precise moment.” Heavy bombers attacked the docks at Bizerta, one ship being sunk. Many combats with enemy fighters occurred, 19 of them being destroyed without loss. A sweep by bombers and fighters between Tunis and Sicily resulted in the sinking of two small enemy vessels. One enemv bomber was destroyed. Our fighters attacking the road from Tripolitania to Tunisia destroyed many enemy vehicles, and one enemy fighter and three enemy bombers were destroyed last _ night. Seven of our aircraft are missing. Dealing with air operations. Saturday’s Cairo communique stated: “The full weight of our fighter-bombers’ effort was directed against transport columns withdrawing westward along the coastal road into Tunisia. Great damage was inflicted on excellent Small shipping attempting to leave the harbour of Zuara, 60 miles west of Tripoli, was attacked by fighter-bombers. The vessels were damaged. “Enemy air activity was not on a large scale. In the combats which developed. our fighters shot down three enemy fighters and damaged others. Moonlight) attacks on the retreating enemy were continued in force on i Thursday night and the landing ground at Ben Gardane was bombed.

"Our intruders were active over Sicily the same night. Much damage was caused. The attacks were repeated yesterday. Further damage was inflicted on railway targets and storage buildings. Long range fighters also operated yesterday and carried out a number of attacks _ on small ships off the coast of Tunisia Two of our aircraft are missing from these large-scale operations.” Reuter’s Cairo correspondent stated: Air attacks as far westwards as Medenin, and the gradual thinning out of road targets, indicate a considerable number of Axis troopsreached the fortified Mareth Line. The Eighth Armv is reported to be approaching the Zuara terminus of the railway west of Tripoli. It is believed that the Eighth Army’s implicabl e pursuit, in Conjunction with the R.A.F’s. and Navy pounding of Zuara, may have resulted in Marshal Von Rommel having to leave behind him. in Tripolitania, a proportion of his heavv equipment. According to the Morocco radio, part of Marshal Von Rommel’s mechanised forces are in confusion on the coast road at a point sixty miles west of Tripoli.