LAND, SEA AND AIR ATTACKS

Southland Times, Issue 24237, 21 September 1940, Page 5

LAND, SEA AND AIR ATTACKS

ITALIANS SUFFER BOMBARDMENT

HAVOC IN SUPPLY COLUMNS

(United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright)

(Received September 20, 8.30 p.m.) LONDON, September 20.

Marshal Graziani boasts that his men marched and fought with only one litre (about If pints) of water daily. However, in spite of the marshal’s confidence the Italians are suffering severely from an unceasing bombardment from land, sea and air which is taking a heavy toll of men and machines and playing havoc among the supply convoys.

The Cairo correspondent of The Times says the Italian invasion is causing a violent anti-Italian reaction. The people are demanding the Government to take a more active part in the war and a movement for a clear-cut declaration of war is growing daily. Details of naval operations against the Italians in East Africa are contained in an Admiralty communique: The initial report from the Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean indicates that units of the Royal Navy continue to harry the northern flank of the Italian advance from Libya.

On the night of September 17 one of our naval units bombarded the coast road to Solium at close range. Simultaneously, other units attacked enemy concentrations at Sidi Barrani.

The Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean reports that both these bombardments appear to have had considerable success. . Ben Ghazi was attacked by aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm on September 16. The Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean reports that during this attack one merchant ship i was set on fire, one destroyer probably sunk and several other ships damaged. Yesterday’s Italian communique admitted that a torpedo boat and a pontoon had been sunk and a lew fires started at Ben Ghazi Concurrent with these operations oft the Libyan coast, naval operations have been carried out in other areas. In the course of these operations no enemy naval forces could be located. In the north-eastern Mediterranean a British convoy and an escort of warships were several times unsuccessfully attacked by aircraft. AUSTRALIAN FORCES ACTIVE

MELBOURNE, September 20. The Prime Minister of Australia Mr R. G. Menzies, in a speech said: ‘The men of the Australian Imperial Force in the Middle East may meet the Italians in combat at any moment.” He added that the time was coming when Australia would be asked more and more to reinforce its troops in the Middle East so that that gateway should not be locked to the Empire.