Stirring Record of the Navy

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 44, 20 February 1941, Page 7

Stirring Record of the Navy

First Lord’s Broadcast

EXPLOITS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN

(British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, Feb. 18.

In a broadcast to-night, the First Lord of the Admiralty (Mr. A. V. Alexander) recalled that he had. not spoken over the radio since the exploit of the Fleet Air Arm at Taranto. Since then in both the Eastern and Western Mediterranean the Fleet had carried ou't operations which had caused much surprise and consternation to the Italians.

Mr. Alexander instanced the bom bardment ox Genoa and Leghorn.

On their first appearance, the German dive-bombers inflicted oonsiclcruule damage on the warships escorting a convoy, but the convoy got through intact and the subsequent attacks on the Illustrious at Malta had been a failure, costing the enemy some 90 planes. The dive-bomners could be left to Admiral Cunningnam and the threat of these strikers would be broken as the threat of the Italian navy.

‘ ‘ Wo hold the initiative in the Mediterranean,” Mr. Alexander said, “and we shall continue to use i't.”

Speaking of the Navy 's part in the Libyan campaign, Mr. Alexander said there had been smooth co-operation and happy comradeship between the Navy, Army and R.A.F. These victories had caused small privations in Britain because of the diversion oi shipping. • • iou may have gone a little short of butter, tea, and meat, but you have got Bardia, Tobruk and Benghazi,” he said.

The Navy had transported large numbers of troops and had delivercu the lighting forces fit to General Wavell. Besides carrying out bombardments on the Italian positions, the Navy had acted as water-carriers, maintained the lines of communication, and carried out the immense task of transporting the embarrassingly large numbers of Italian prisoners who fell with such obvious pleasure and heartfelt relief into our Hands. The Navy was now carrying ou't similar duties otf East Africa.

Speaking of the Navy ’s trade protectioa duties,, Mr. Alexander said destroyers, oorvettes, and sloops during recent montns had convoyed over 30UO ships, of ,vhich only nine had been lost. “Let me say,” he added, 1 ‘ that in this work the American Town class destroyers are carrying Out invalua'ble operations.” Although the Navy was doing work which in the last war was shared between the navies of Britain, France, Italy and Japan, who had between them mustered over 900 destroyers, the losses in 1917 were much higher than iu 1941. This was in spite of the new factors of air attack and the magneticmine. Mr. Alexander said it might «ven force Hitler to try an invasion.