AIR FLEET SENT TO LIBYA

Timaru Herald, Volume CLI, Issue 22215, 7 March 1942, Page 5

AIR FLEET SENT TO LIBYA

Relief For Russia By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Rec. 1 am.) LONDON, Mar. 6. The Minister of State (Captain Oliver Lyttelton), who has recently returned from the Middle East, disclosed in London to-day that Germany had been obliged to switch an entire air fleet from the Russian front to give Rommel aid. Captain Lyttelton contended that the Allied forces in the Middle East were now in a better position than before to defend Egypt and meet any attack by Homme'. who had recently lost vast quantities of ammunition which had been brought to him at a great cost in ships and Italian sailors’ lives. A communique issued at Cairo states: “The enemy was unenterprising throughout yesterday. Our mobile columns sought but enemy patrols and forced them to withdraw. “Further details of an encounter reported yesterday show that the enemy forces, consisting of 12 tanks and two companies of infantry, were obliged to withdraw from positions north-west of Gazala. “A Free French column operated in one area. Despite rain our air forces supported our activities in the forward areas.” A communique issued by Royal Air Force headquarters in the Middle East states: "Shipping in the harbour of Palermo was successfully attacked on Monday night. A direct hit was obtained on a large merchant ship which had motor transport as deck cargo. A fire broke out on board and was still burning six hours later. Subsequent bombing caused other considerable fires and violent explosions in the area of the shipping and engineering works, dry docks, and seaplane base. “On the same night the harbour of Benghazi was again raided. Hits were scored on the moles, but detailed results were observed by haze. “Our fighter aircraft were active in Cyrenaica on Tuesday, but no combats with enemy aircraft developed. “Raids oh Malta continued on Monday night and the following day. In the course of the night attacks, one Junkers 88 was shot down by antiaircraft gunfire. None of our aircraft is missing.” A message from Cairo says that an Egyptian official statement announced that there were air raids on Alexandria and the Suez Canal area early on Wednesday morning. No casualties were caused, but there was slight damage to property at Alexandria.