R.A.F. Pounding Axis African Ports To Dust

Northern Advocate, 4 September 1941, Page 5

R.A.F. Pounding Axis African Ports To Dust

[British Official Wireless] (Rec. noon.) RUGBY, Sept. 3. A Middle East communique issued at Cairo says that at Tobruk the enemy shelled the harbour area but no damage resulted. Our fighting patrols continue to harass the enemy and inflict casualties. In the frontier area a dust storm restricted activity. The Royal Air Force Middle East communique says that heavy Royal Air Force bombers attacked Tripoli on the night of September 1-2. Bombs were dropped on the power station and a number of fires smarted. Subsequently. there were violent explosions and iarge fires with clouds of black smoke broke out. Stricken Ship Two anti-aircraft guns were put out of action. Other heavy bombers raided Benghazi, where shipping in the harbour was bombed. Several bombs fell near vessels and a column of black smoke was seen rising from one of the ships. Motor transport near Barce was machine-gunned. South African aircraft and Fleet Air Arm machines ' bombed the southern landing ground at Gazala, causing fires which were visible for many miles. A number of explosions occurred when aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm dropped bombs among aircraft on the Sicilian aerodromes of Gerbini and Comiso. One of our aircraft is missing from these operations. Photographs of the munition factories at Licata. in Sicily, which were raided on August 30, reveal a number of direct hits and considerable damage.