HEAVILY SHELLED

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 2 December 1940, Page 5

HEAVILY SHELLED

t j ENEMY PARTY IN MERSA - | MATRUH AREA t j AMBUSH IN SUDAN [British Official Wireless] t : RUGBY, 30th November. A communique from the military i I headquarters in Cairo states: “In the * I Kassala sector in the Sudan one of our i ! mechanised patrols successfully am--1 j bushed a body of the enemy, inflicting i heavy casualties both on the original • I party and upon reinforcements which r j hurried into the thick of the action. t j “In Egypt an enemy reconnaissance i force in the Mersa Matruh area met ■ ! with a heavy concentration of fire from l i our artillery. j “There has be%n nothing of import- ■ | ance to report on the other fronts.” J j The Air Ministry announces that on ■ the night of 28th and 29th November 1 I raids were carried out in the Western - [Desert on Sidi Barrani and Bomba. Di--1 i rect hits were registered on military ‘ ; buildings at Siddi Barrani, while at J j Bomba bombs fell in the camp. 1 ! In Italian East Africa dive-bombing 1 j and machine-gun attacks were made on the Tessenie aerodrome, where enemy ' aircraft on the ground were damaged 1 by machine-gun fire, and bombs fell well inside the target area. Karen ' was also raided and individual attacks were made on railway goods stations. On 28th November aircraft of the South African Air Force carried out an offensive patrol over Gardulla, and accurate bombing resulted in extensive damage to administrative buildings, several fires being started. On other parts of the front normal reconnaissances were carried out by the R.A.F. From all the operations under review all the British aircraft returned safely to their bases. Mentioning an earlier action, the Ministry’s news service says that on 22nd November, while South African aircraft were engaged in an offensive reconnaissance over Kismayu, they encountered Italian aircraft, and during an ensuing combat one enemy fighter was damaged and compelled to break off the fight, being apparently in difficulties. One South African aircraft was forced to land on enemy territory, the crew being taken prisoner.