BLOW TO ITALY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24945, 18 June 1942, Page 3

BLOW TO ITALY

AIR AND SEA LOSSES MEDITERRANEAN BATTLE CONVOYS GET THROUGH RUGBY, June 16. A combined Admiralty and Air Ministry communique reveals the complete inaccuracy of Italian claims to have sunk cruisers and damaged a battleship and an aircraft-carrier in operations between Bardia, Sicily, and the African coast. The communique says: "The Royal Navy and the Merchant Navy, with the co-operation of the R.A.F. and the United States Army Air Corps, delivered supplies to garrisons in Malta and Tobruk. The operations were carried through in the face of very heavy attacks by superior enemy naval and air forces, and completed without loss. The fantastic enemy claims are without any foundation. Services Co-operate " Loss and damage were also inflicted on the enemy by the Royal Navy, the R.A.F., and United States planes. One 10,000-ton eight-inch cruiser of the Trento class was sunk, and at least two destroyers were sunk. Heavy losses were imposed on the enemy air forces."

Further official details of this action are contained in a special R.A.F. communique issued in Cairo to-day, which states: "For the past four days the Allied air force has been supporting naval operations in the central and eastern Mediterranean. On the even T ing of June 14 an Italian force, including two battleships and four destroyers, was sighted south of Taranto. It was shadowed, and during the night attacked by long-range torpedo aircraft from Malta and Africa. The attacks were simultaneous, and it is known that a number of hits were made on battleships and that fires were caused. One Trento class cruiser was set on Are by bombs and sunk by an aircraft torpedo, and one six-inch cruiser and one destroyer were also hit. The enemy turned to the north, and during the following-night was shadowed to his " On the morning of June 15 a second force of cruisers and destroyers in the neighbourhood of Pantellaria was attacked by torpedo aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm and the RA.F. One cruiser was hit and set on fire, and one destroyer was probably hit." Fighter Protection

It is also officially stated that during these actions our naval forces were covered by our fighters, and that many bombing attacks were intercepted. On one occasion a raid of 40 Ju 87's and Ju 88*s, escorted by more than 20 Me. 109's, was intercepted, and the enemy compelled to jettison his bombs far from the ships. It is known that considerable losses were inflicted by our machines, but the details are not yet available. . According to reports received in Stockholm from Italian journalists in Berlin the entire Italian battle fleet sailed from Taranto seeking a decisive Mediterranean battle with the British Fleet. They say that British striking power has recently been severely reduced, presenting an opportunity for the Italian Fleet to deal British sea power a smashing blow. The Rome radio claims that over 30 Allied ships were hit and some of them sunk. This success certainly was not achieved without sacrifice. Each convoy consisted of about 70 ships with urgent reinforcements for Libya. One was encountered between the Balearics and Sardinia and the other off Sidi Barrani.

A German communique states that German warships and planes were cooperating with the Italians in the Mediterranean convoy battle.

HAZARDOUS EXPEDITION

(Rec. 10 p.m.) LONDON, June 16. "The supplies got through." That is the keynote of London's reaction to the latest details of the great sea and air battles in the Mediterranean. The morning newspapers acclaim the daring and determination with which the Royal Navy pressed forward its expedition through the most dangerous areas in the Mediterranean in the lightest season and in face of tremendous opposition from Axis warships, submarines and planes. The Daily Mail, in a leader, says: "The Italian version is substantiated only in the fact that this was one of the biggest air and sea actions of the war, but the Italian claims to have damaged eight British warships is absolutely untrue. It turns out, as usual, that heavy losses were suffered, not by the British, but by the Italian Fleet. We must assume, in view- of the strength of the attack, that the losses of merchantmen are unlikely to be light." The naval correspondent of the Daily Express says: "No British battleship or aircraft carrier was even damaged. The British naval losses were comparatively light, and may not involve even a cruiser."

It is now possible to piece together the picture of the fluid battle, which covered the 500 miles of sea. The Malta-bound convoy sailed from Gibraltar and the other from Alexandria: Several separate actions then resulted. Powerful air squadrons attacked the Malta-bound convoy south of Sardinia, but the results of these attacks are not yet known. An Italian naval squadron in the meantime was hovering off Pantellaria awaiting a chance to attack the convoy should it be sufficiently weakened by the air onslaught, but this squadron, consisting of cruisers and destroyers, never got a chance. Dual air attacks launched from aircraft-carriers and from Malta savaged it, setting fire to a cruiser and probably hitting a destroyer. This squadron appears to have taken no further part in the battle. Meanwhile the main Italian battle fleet was steaming at full speed to the south from Taranto and its obvious purpose, according to the Daily Mail's naval correspondent, was to get among the convoy from Alexandria and smash it up immediately after it had been reasonably "softened" by violent air attacks from planes drawn from and African bases, but like the smaller Italian squadron it was never given an opportunity. A swarm of torpedo planes was loosed on it from Malta and another swarm swooped down from Africa. Then came the greatest shock of all —a strong force of Liberators. The sea was alive with torpedoes and powerful armour-piercing bombs from Liberators were dropping all around the twisting, writhing Italian warships. Fires and explosions broke out on board battleships. Bombs burst on the decks of a heavy Trento class cruiser and before long she was ablaze from stem to stern. British torpedo planes swooped in for a death blow and she sank in a few minutes. There were fires on other warships and the Italians turned to the north at full speed for home. Once again a major sea action appears to have been fought out without sui'face ships coming into action against one another. The damage the British inflicted appears to have been the work entirely of planes, and our aircraft effectively prevented two Italian naval squadrons from making battle contact.