TOBRUK DEFENDED

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 124, 26 April 1941, Page 8

TOBRUK DEFENDED

ANOTHER NAZI FAILURE. (British Official Wireless.) (Rec. 11.15 a.m.) RUGBY, April 25. In Libya, yesterday, the enemy made a further attack on the outer defences of Tobruk. This was repulsed with heavy losses to the enemy, who left in our hands two officers and 125 other ranks, of whom a number were German. In the Solium area our patrols have again been aggressive. Enemy transport anu mechanised units were persistently bombed and machine-gunned bv aircraft of the Ii.A.F. yesterday. A considerable number of enemy vehicles were destroyedor damaged. Enemy aircraft oil the landing ground at Derna and El Gazala were bombed. Over Tobruk four enemy, aircraft were shot down.

Strong offensive operations by British bombers throughout the Mediterranean theatre of war are recorded in an R.A.F. Middle East communique on Thursday night. "More than a dozen large' fires were started at Benghazi. Enemy aircraft on the Derna landing ground and motor transport concentrations were bombed and machine-gunned and much damage caused. Over Tobruk our fighters intercepted a very large force of enemy aircraft and shot down four Junkers 87’s and four Messerschmitt Ill’s. Three of our aircraft were lost in this combat but two of the pilots were saved.

"On the night of April 22-23 the aerodrome at Calato (Sicily) was raided successfully and the same night the main harbour of Rhodes (Dodecanese) was heavily attacked and a large explosion was caused followed by a fire which was still burning fiercely some time after the bombing. Tripoli harl»our was also raided. One stick of bombs straddled a large ship and there were many near misses to other shipping. Explosions occurred on ttie north side of the harbour. From all these operations one bomber failed to return.”

A Vichy message states that Germany and Italy arc believed to have an army of 200,000 in Libya, also 1200 planes.