BOMBARDMENT OF GENOA

Southland Times, Issue 24357, 11 February 1941, Page 5

BOMBARDMENT OF GENOA

DETAILS OF DAMAGE INFLICTED (British Official Wireless) RUGBY, February 9. An Admiralty communique states: I “More detailed information received ' concerning our operations against i Italian bases in the Gulf of Genoa i shows that the bombardment and , bombing were even more successful than was at first thought. Our forces under the command of Vice-Admiral Sir James Somerville, consisted of the battle-cruiser Renown, the battleship Malaya, the aircraft carrier Ark Royal and the cruiser Sheffield with light forces in company. Military targets in and around Genoa were subjected to a bombardment in which 300 tons of shells were fired. “The following results were observed: The Ansaldo electric works and Ansaldo boiler works were heavily hit and large fires were started. The port’s main power station, which also supplies power for the railways, was severely damaged and set on fire. Many hits were also made on the dry docks, warehouses and harbour works surrounding the inner harbour. Here considerable fires broke out. Tire main oil fuel installation and oil tanks were repeatedly hit, also a number of supply ships and the main goods yard of the railway. “Several tons of bombs and a large number of incendiaries were dropped by naval aircraft on an oil refinery at Leghorn and on other targets in the vicinity. The refinery is one of the largest and most important oil plants in Italy. Other naval aircraft attacked Pisa, where the aerodrome and the railway junction were hit. This railway junction is the intersection of the main west coast railway from Genoa to Rome and the south and is one of the. most important routes across the Peninsula from Leghorn to Bologna and Venice. “Two Italian aircraft which attempted to interfere were shot down. One of our Swordfish aircraft is missing. No other casualties were suffered by our forces in the course of these most successful operations.”