DARING PATROLS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 78, Issue 24034, 4 August 1941, Page 8

DARING PATROLS

TOBEIIK DBFENDEES AIR FORCE ACTIVITY MORE RAIDS ON BENGHAZI (Rncd. 0.80 p.m.) LONDON, August 2 An official communique issued from British headquarters in Cairo to-day states: "Although heavy dust storms yesterday interfered with our offensive patrolling at Tobruk, our artillery was active. All is quiet in the frontier area." Kmpire patrols penetrated deeply into the enemy lines on Wednesday night. Contact with the enemy was not made, but all the patrols procured valuable information. A daylight patrol, operating on Thursday with great skill, stalked and captured a prisoner, thereby securing the identification for which it had been despatched. In the frontier area, Allied artillery engaged the enemy and inflicted casualties upon working parties and mechanical transport in tho Hal fay a area. Huge Fires Caused

Royal Air Force headquarters in the Middle Mast issued a communique stating that heavy bombers attacked Benghazi Harbour during Wednesday night and caused, several tires, one of which was visible 5(1 miles away. Other aircraft bombed Gazahi and .Bardia, where a series of explosions were observed among tho military huts.

Bomber aircraft successfully attacked shipping in tho harbour of Messina, Sicily, on Thursday. Benghazi was again attacked by heavy bombers on Thursday night. Bombs fell on the seaplane base, petrol depot and coal stores, causing a number of explosions and fires. Enemy Convoy Attacked On Friday, British bombers attacked enemy motor transports and concentrations near Sidi Omar, causing fires and explosions. Aircraft of tho Fleet Air Arm attacked an enemy convoy in the Central Mediterranean during Thursday night, Explosions and fires were seen on one vessel after a torpedo attack had been made. One of our aircraft is missing. The Italians report British air raids on Sardinia and the small island of Lampedusa, between Malta and the North African coast.

PUZZLE FOR R.A.F. TRICKS OF THE GERMANS DUMMY CITY BUILT LONDON, July 2.'1 The Germans have built a dummy city of Berlin to confuse the Ii.A.F. during raids, according to a neutral traveller. The traveller gave a detailed description of tiie imitation city to the Lisbon (Portugal) correspondent of the Daily Express. "One day, driving in the neighbourhood of Berlin, the traveller suddenly realised he was driving through a mock capital," says the correspondent. "In this 'city' smallscale buildings line wooden-paved streets, which resemble the Enter den Linden and other main thoroughfares of Berlin. "What seem like real railway tracks enter sheds which arc roughly like those at Potsdamer bahnof, and other Berlin railway stations. The traveller estimates that this fake capital covers several square miles. "It must have entailed a fantastic amount of work and expense. He was reliably told in Berlin that the 'dummy' city is dimly lit with blue lights when raid warnings sound. This [ gives the effect of blacked-out streets. "After the first wave of British bombers attack, huge bonfires are lit to deceive following pilots into believing that their comrades have started great fires. "This imitation city is built in a wooded area a few miles from Berlin and is apparently uninhabited except for a few sentries and technicians." AUSTRALIAN AIRMEN IDENTIFICATION BADGES LONDON, July 21 "What good English you Norwegian airmen speak!" a young girl said shyly to an R.A.A.F. man on a park bench the other night. Jt is one of the reasons why Australian airmen serving abroad are delighted at the news that they will in future wear the word "Australia" on their sleeves. Australians are the only fliers from overseas who are not identified by badges. Londoners are familiar with the distinctive labels on Polish, Czech, Free French, New Zealand and Norwegian uniforms, but they are baffled bv the dark blue anonymity of the Australians. Pilot-Officer Neville Young, of the Commercial Brink in Newcastle, who has just arrived from Canada and has been in London two days, lias bad fully 100 inquiries regarding his nationality. "We are all eager to put 'Australia' on our sleeves, but, so far, we've not heard anything officially," ho said. Young and Pilot-Officer Jim Mecltlern, of Brisbane, are believed to be the first Australian wireless air-gunners commissioned after training in Canada. Young topped the examinations after the wireless air-gunnerv course.

AMERICAN ARMY SERVICE (Urrd. 5.5 p.m.) WASHINGTON, August 1 Senator L. Hill said to-day that the sponsors of the proposal had agreed to a compromise! in the army service extension legislation, to provide for a maximum of two and a-half years' training.