MEDITERRANEAN ACTION

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 239, 6 September 1940, Page 8

MEDITERRANEAN ACTION

ITALIANS FLEE, FROM BRITISH FLEET. AIT’ FORCE SUCCESSES. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph. —Copyright.) (British Official Wireless.) Received September 6, 12.55 p.m, 'RUGBY, Sept. 5. An Admiralty communique states that extensive operations have been carried out .by our naval forces in ' Both the Western and Eastern Mediterranean over a period of six days. These operations have been entirely successful, except that no contact was made between our main forces and the enemy warships. During these operations the opportunity was taken of sending strong reinforcements to our naval forces in the Eastern Mediterranean. On August 31, in the Eastern Mediterranean, one enemy aircraft which was attempting to shadow our forces was shot down by Fleet Air Arm fighters. On that day it was learnt from reports of submarines that some enemy units were at Sea in the Central Mediterranean. H.M. submarine Parthian attacked an enemy force of cruisers and destroyers, ” and obtained two hits with torpedoes. Meanwhile air reconnaissance reported that the enemy main fleet, consisting of battleships, cruisers, and destroyers, was at sea. It was then about 150 miles from our forces. Efforts were made to make contact, but the reconnaissance aircraft reported that the enemy fleet had turned back immediately on receipt of reports indicating that British forces were in the vicinity and were heading for their base <at Toranto at high speed. PLANE SHOT DOWN. Another British force was at this time operating to the westward ot Sardinia arid Sicily. Fleet Air Arm aircraft attached to this force shot down an enemy low-wing aircraft. On the morning of September • 1 Swordfish aircraft of the Air Arm from this' western force attacked the aerodrome at Elnia, in Sardinia. They were not able to observe the damage caused, but an Italian broadcast admitted that one wing of the military headquarters had been destroyed, as well as two aircraft or. the ground.

While returning from this attack, one of our aircraft sighted an Italia U-boat on the surface. Having no bombs, the remaining aircraft machine-gunned the'conning tower of the submarine as it dived.

From this operation all our aircraft returned safely. On the morning of September 2 Swordfish aircraft from the same force attacked the aerodrome at Cagliari, in Sicily. Bad visibility hampered the' attack, but it has been reported that enemy searchlights at Scaffa were successfully bombed and put out of action. All our aircraft returned safely from this operation. ITALIAN LIES.

On September 2 our force in the Eastern Mediterranean was attacked by enemy aircraft when south-west of Malta. It is presumably of this attack that the Italian communique stated: “A bold onslaught of Italian divebombing x>ianes managed to achieve notable results. One enemy aircraft carrier was seriously hit astern. In addition, one enemy battleship, one cruiser, and one destroyer received it squarely amidships and were dam--aged.”

In fact, this action resulted in no damage or casualties to any of our ships, while five enemy aircraft were shot down by Fulmar and Gladiator fighters of the Fleet Air Arm and gunfire of the Fleet. Four others were chased almost to .Sicily, and were probably damaged.

Nor were these aircraft Italian. They were GermAi dive-bombers of the J linkers 87 Type. The whole of the main part of the Mediterranean had been swept without enemy warships being encountered. The eastern force proceeded to the eastward in the hope of finding enemy forces in the vicinity of his Dodecanese bases. On September 4 the enemy aerodromes at Maritza and Calato were simultaneously attacked by Swordfish planes of the Air Arm. At Calato a number or aircraft on the aerodrome were destroyed. Loud explosions were heard. probably from ammunition dumps, and fires were observed in barracks and other buildings. At Maritza direct hits were scored on the two main hangars. Petrol dumps, workshops and barracks were set on fire. WARSHIPS IN ACTION. In the operations otf the Dodecanese Islands eight enemy aircraft were shot uown and six damaged apart from t'nose destroyed on tile Calato aero drome. Pour of our aircraft are miss ing. An Italian communique states that the crews of three of these art prisoners of war. Following the attacks by the Air Arm on the enemy aerodromes in Rhodes, some of our naval forces, including H.M.A.S. Sydney and H.M.S. Orion, bombarded military objectives in the Italian Dodecanese Islands. The aerodrome and sur rounding buildings at Makri 5 alo and Pogadia, in Scarpanto Island, were bombarded. The aerodrome at. Makra.i 5 alo was plastered with bin shells, and none o> the surrounding buildings was left in tact. ~ Pegadia is the seat of the Italian Government on Scarpanto Island. Of five enemy motor-torpedo boats which emerged from the 'harbour, H.M.S. Ilex intercepted three, which tried to at tack it. Two of these were sunk, and the third was damaged. The remaining two boats returned without attackingOur forces in the Dodecanese area were later unsuccessfully attacked by enemv aircraft. One Caproni 133 and one 579 were shot down into the sea. and at least three other enemy aircraft were damaged. „ A Nairobi communique says South African airmen bombed Yawalo aerodrome on September 3 and destroyed three enemy planes. One of ours ha 6 not returned.

ITALIAN VERSION. GREAT AIR ACTIVITY. Received September 6, 11.55 a.m. ROME, Sept, 5. A communique says Italian planes violently bombed three British cruisers and two destroyers cruising oil the Algerian Coast. Large-calibre bombs hit'two of the cruisers and a sheet ot flame was observed on the deck ot one. ~ . Reconnoitring planes spotted a large enemy convoy escorted by warships it? the Aegean Sea on Tuesday. With the object of defending the corivoys. the British attempted an at-

tack by sea and air on Italian bases in the Aegean. Starting at dawn on Wednesday, two air formations attacked the airfields at Dadurra and Mariza, where two Italian planes were hit on the. ground. A naval formation shelled Scarpanto. causing slight damage to buildings and inflicting a few civilian casualties.- Prompt intervention by Italian- fighters,; gether with the anti-aircraft defences, which shot down seven enemy planes, repelled the attack. The crews of three ’planes, numbering eight men, were taken prisoner. The Italians counter-attacked from 7 a.m. until 5.30 p.m. Five mass attacks were carried out against the enemy convoy. British fighters and anti-aircraft fire intervened, but four enemy vessels were seriously damaged and five enemy fighters were shot down. Two Italian ’planes failed to return. There were a few casualties aboard the others.

Italian motor torpedo-boats simultaneously attacked the enemy naval forces and successfully directed their fire against a British cruiser and two destroyers One Italian motor-boat failed to return.

Intense activity by the air force on both sides is reported from North Africa. Enemy raids have caused only slight damage, one being killed and eleven wounded. Four enemy planes were shot down, but all the Italian ’planes returned. A British machine was shot down and another was probably shot down during an enemy raid on the airfield at Giavello, in East Africa. An Italian bomber formation seriously damaged an enemy vessel in the Red Sea. ff