ITALIAN COLUMNS HALT

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 215, 9 August 1940, Page 7

ITALIAN COLUMNS HALT

AFRICAN FRONTS REVIEWED HEAVY DAMAGE BY R.A.F. (United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph — Copyright.) (British Official Wireless.) Received August 9, 10.40 a.m. RUGBY, Aug. 8. A Cairo communique states: All is quiet on the Western Desert frontier. Enemy movement, particularly of motor transport, continues. In the Sudan there was an unsuccessful air raid on Atbara; otherwise all is quiet.

In Somaliland, as anticipated, the enemy columns halted after capturing Hargeisa and Aodweina, aud air reconnaissance reports little movement around these places.

In the Burao (Central) aretf of British Somaliland the situation is reported to be normal. There is nothing to report in Kenya and Palestine.

BARDIA AGAIN BOMBED

An R.A.F. communique issued in Cairo states: There was considerable activity on all fronts yesterday and many valuable reconnaissance flights were undertaken. At Bardia (east of Tobruk), in Libya, shipping in the harbour and store buildings were attacked. One largo building was demolished. While carrying out reconnaissance work in the Tobruk area on Wednesday one of our flying-boats was shot down. One of the* crew was killed, and the other three were wounded and taken prisoner. In Italian East Africa the submarine base at Massawa was raided by R.A.F. bombers on Wednesday and Thursday. Reports indicate that direct hits were registered on a naval vessel, the quay, and a submarine. All the aircraft returned safely.

Enemy fighters approached Malta yesterday, hut turned away before our fighters could engage them. The American Associated Press’s Rome correspondent says it is claimed that Italy’s third bombardment of Haifa.' on "Wednesday destroyed 100,000 tons of oil and wrecked wharves, shipyards, and warehouses.