RAID ON ITALIAN NAVAL BASE

Southland Times, Issue 24152, 14 June 1940, Page 5

RAID ON ITALIAN NAVAL BASE

British aeroplanes today raided the Italian naval base at Tobruk and also again raided air bases in Libya and East Africa. Wave after wave swept over Tobruk Harbour, scoring a direct hit on a large warship which was burning fiercely as the crew tried to beach the vessel. Two submarines were also hit. There were no British losses.

The Royal Air Force raided Massawa last night, setting fire to a petrol dump. The British aeroplanes which attacked Tobruk damaged a number of vessels besides the warship and the two submarines. Italian fighters and antiaircraft guns were completely unable to cope with the situation. One Italian aeroplane was shot down in flames and another was seen plunging through the clouds out of control.

The first South African war communique states: “South African Air Force heavy bombers yesterday attacked military objectives in Abyssinia. Buildings, personnel, roads and equipment were extensively damaged. A heavy bomb made a direct hit on an open shed packed with military transport vehicles. The bombers encountered heavy ma-chine-gun fire.” It is officially announced in London that heavy Royal Air Force bombers, operating from Britain, attacked military objectives at Turin. Others bombed targets at Genoa. The Italian Government claims that mining operations cut the Mediterranean in two, making nearly impossible the passage of Allied ships between the eastern and western Mediterranean and thus enabling it, if necessary, to engage the Allied fleets either in the basin or

separately. Malta falls inside the mined area.

Crown Prince Humbert, of Italy, in his capacity as Inspector-General of Italian Infantry, in a message to the infantrymen said: “The solemn hour has struck. March with unshakable faith and with heroic vision of past triumphs towards the new and certain destinies of Imperial Italy. The country again expects most dazzling glories from you.”

A message from Turin says that an Allied aeroplane, believed to be a British one, flew over Turin at 1 a.m. and dropped several bombs on the outskirts. Anti-aircraft guns were in action for two hours. No aeroplanes were shot down, no military objectives were damaged and no casualties are reported. It is officially stated that four were killed and 19 were wounded in the raids on Switzerland. Of this number two were killed and 18 wounded at Geneva. The second Italian war communique says: “Italian planes bombed Bizerte in Tunisia and during the night raided Toulon, causing considerable damage. An Italian submarine in the Mediterranean sank an enemy cruiser and a 10,000-ton tanker.” The communique admits that the British bombed Tubruk and Cyrenaica, causing slight damage to airfields and an Italian mine-sweep-er. It adds that the British bombed airfields at Askara, Adiugri, Agordat and Gura killing 10. “All Italian planes participating in the bombing raids returned safely to their respective bases after destroying six British planes at Syrenaica. The Bizerte bombing caused an outbreak of fire and also destroyed nine French planes and part of the aerodrome.”