ADVANCE CHECKED

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 126, 29 April 1941, Page 5

ADVANCE CHECKED

ITALIANS IN EGYPT. FIGHTING AT SOLLTJM. LONDON, April 28, _ The Italian forces wluch entered Egypt at several points are believed to have taken possession of the port of Solium. The enemy lias been harassed by troops of a well-known regiment as well as by attacks from the air. All efforts by the Italians to bring up reinforcements have so far failed. A Cairo communique says the enemy detachments which penetrated five or six miles across the frontier have made little or no progress. There is no change in the Tobruk sector. The machine-gunning of troops while embarking in German troop-carrying aeroplanes is recorded in the 11.A.E. Middle East communique, which states that in C.yrenaica yesterday the R.A.F. continued to hamper enemy movements, bombing and machine-gunning troops and transport. At Benina, north-east of Benghazi, fighters ma-chine-gunned a number of Junkers 52 troop-carriers while they were embarking troops on the ground. One enemy aircraft was destroyed by fire and the remainder were badly damaged.” An Italian communique states:— “There was artillery activity in the Tobruk sector, and Italian and German planes repeatedly bombed Tobrukon the night of April 24-25, and also attacked mechanised units and en.emy artillery in the Solium area. The Italians east of Gambala routed the enemy, who left hundreds of dead and much material.” DESTRUCTION AT BENGHAZI. A Royal Air Force (Middle East) communique issued on Sunday stated: “During the night of April 25-26 R.A.F. bombers carried out another raid on Benghazi and dropped bombs on shipping in the harbour and oil other military objectives. Large fires were started near the water tower, telephone exchange, and Army Headquarters. There wore near misses to ships in the harbour, and a violent explosion was caused on the mole. “Our fighters machine-gunned and destroyed a number of land oil-tankers and other vehicles moving between Derna and Barce. One Messerschmitt 109 which attempted to attack our ground troops was shot clown near Solium. All our aircraft returned safely.”