ITALIAN LOSSES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 169, 17 June 1940, Page 7

ITALIAN LOSSES

U-BOATS AND MEN. R.A.F. OFFENSIVE. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) (British Official Wireless.) Received June 17, 9.10 a.m. RUGBY, June 16. The British Admiralty announces that four enemy, submarines have been destroyed in the Mediterranean since'ltaly began hostilities. A communique issued by General Headquarters in the Middle East reveals that following the capture of the fort of Capuzzo the British now have eight.ltalian officers and 200 men prisoners. An R.A.F. communique issued to-dav states: “The R.A.F. continued their active operations against the enemy yesterday in an attack on Diredawa by bombing aircraft. Extensive damage was caused to the aerodrome and nearby building.s A large building was seen to he burning, and two other fires were started—one close to the railway junction. ■, n . “Another raid was carried out on Macara, direct hits being registered on buildings, and the aerodrome was bombed. While making a reconnaissance flight over the Kenya-Somaliland frontier one machine bombed and ma-chine-gunned the Italian frontier post of El Wak.” An Italian communique (says a Rome message) states that reconnoitring action is continuing on the French side of the Alpine frontier. The Italian air. forces have bombed the air bases and ports of Corsica, also the Burmula arsenal at Malta. It claims that forty enemy planes were destroyed and a munition depot blown up during an action in Southern France; five Italian ’planes have not returned. A fierce action is proceeding in Northern Africa against British forces supported by armoured cars which attempted to attack in the direction of Sidi Azeis. In East Africa ’planes raiding Massawa were shot down. Four enemy ’planes were shot down by anti-aircraft guns at Genoa, FORTS CAPTURED. BRITISH SUCCESS IN LIBYA. LONDON, June 15. A War Office communique said that yesterday British troops, acting fin close co-operation with tlie R.A.F., attacked tlie forte of Cappuzzo and Maddalona, Italian forts near the Egypt-Libya frontier. Cappuzzo was captured and four Italian officers and a hundred soldiers taken prisoner. Maddalona surrendered. A Nairobi message states that when the South African Air Force bombed the Kismayu aerodrome (near the Kenya border) they set fire to a barracks full of Italian soldiers. Other buildings were also hit and anti-air-craft guns were put out of action. All the machines returned A communique from Alexandria states: “Italian ’planes attacked and slightly damaged Wajir aerodrome. Four African soldiers were killed and eleven wounded. Italian ’planes attacked Egypt’s important western desert defence bastions, Solium and Sheggaweshka. Little material damage was done.” R.A.F. bombers made night attacks on Assab (Eritrea), where one of four tri-motored ’planes on the ground suffered a direct hit and others arc be-lieved-to have been damaged. ‘ Italian bombers unsuccessfully attacked a British warship six miles from ’Malta. The warship drove off the raiders. RAIDS ON ITALIAN TOWNS. It is officially announced, in Rome that II were killed and 52 wounded i.n naval and air attacks on various Italian cities. Six were killed and 22 wounded in naval and air attacks on Savona, near Genoa. Leaflets dropped by British ’plan€6 on Rome stated: “11 Duce wanted war. Here it is. Whether you win or lose, Italians will always suffer because Italy, will always be poor. France has nothing against you. Lay down your arms.” Another leaflet read: “Italian women ! Nobody has attacked Italy. Your sons, husbands ar.d sweethearts have not left you to defend the country. They suffer and die to satisfy the pride of one man. Victorious or defeated, you have hunger, misery and slavery.” An intercepted raJio message from Rome quoted an Italian spokesman as declaring that Italy was at war with Monaco (the tiny principality on the Mediterranean 9 miles from Nice, including Monte Carlo). An Italian communique states : On the Alpine front we carried out prearranged. dispositions, occupying some localities beyond the frontier. Tlie enemy’s efforts to impede our action were repulsed and some prisoners were taken. The torpedo-boat Calatafim torpodoed two large enemy destroyers, of which one was sunk. , . “Localities in the Riviera were nit by the enemy and some civilians were killed. Despite unfavourable weather .conditions, we carried out a new and effective bombardment against military objectives Reconnoitring was carried out over enemy bases. One enemy submarine was sunk by one of our seaplanes. “In Northern Africa the enemy renewed his attacks with armoured units against our border posts. The attacks have been held in efficacious action and our aircraft have had considerable results. There have been intense reconnoitring activities in Tunis. In East Africa our aviation units, besides numerous reconnaissances beyond the border, carried out on June 13. successive waves of air raids oil Aden, directlv bitting objectives, and shooting down one enemv machine. One of our ’planes failed to return. In the afternoon the aerial base at Vair was bombarded, causing damage. All our ’planes returned. “On the afternoon of June 12 and the night of June 13. the British bombed the village , of Lobua and the airport at Assab. Not much damage was done. Enemy aircraft at night raided several cities in central and North Italy an dthere was. intense reconnoitring over territory in Tunis. At dawn on June 13 our navy clashed with an enemy naval formation 'composed of cruisers and torpedo-boats i.n which the seacoast . defences and our navy went into action.” ■>