RUNNING THE GAUNTLET

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 28 October 1941, Page 4

RUNNING THE GAUNTLET

AN unostentatious but effective vigil : has for some time been maintained by j the British Mediterranean Fleet and | Air Force over the narrow waters of j t lie Sicilian Channel separating I southern Italy and North Africa. I Italian merchantmen have been very ! persistent in trying to get Axis supplies and reinforcements to Libya, i The British air and sea units have not I been able to stop them completely be- j cause this voyage can be done in a j j night under cover of darkness just as I a Cook Strait crossing can be made, so that some ships are bound to get through, but it is estimated that at j least 20 per cent, of the vessels and j their cargoes have been completely' destroyed and another 30 per cent, damaged, with the result that not' more than about half of the ships and j cargoes have reached Africa un-i scathed. The Mediterranean shore! on the edge of the Western Desert j bears abundant but melancholy evidence of the toll taken of these con- . voys and their crews. Commenting on the Italians’ extraordinary losses, Admiral Cunningham i expresses surprise that they should i go on sailing almost nightly in the face of the heavy losses sustained, but j he considers that they are probably | driven to it. By whom he does not j say. While the enemy in Africa are j getting some of their reinforcements i and supplies, the rest are going to the! bottom along with the ships which carry them. Thus the tonnage avail- | able to the Axis is being severely de- j creased. Vessels apparently run the j gauntlet and risk the chance of getting through. It is unlikely that they have any substantial escort beyond perhaps merchant cruisers and destroyers. Admiral Cunningham estimates the present naval strength of Italy at four or five battleships, two or four eight-inch gun cruisers, up to 14 six-inch gun cruisers and numerous destroyers. He thinks her submarine losses have been about one in I three. From these figures it can be seen i that though the strength of the Italian ( navy has been severely reduced it has j not been eliminated as a fighting! force. It seldom seems to leave the * protection of its own waters nowa- * days and Admiral Cunningham’s! [periodic sweeps fail to entice it to battle. This sinking and damaging of Axis ships and cargoes is good! work. Not only does il lessen enemy j tonnage but it destroys valuable sup- i plies and munitions after they have; been made and loaded aboard but be- ; fore they reach their destination, thus i making the power which can be arrayed against us in the desert so much the less.