NAVAL SWEEP

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 October 1940, Page 5

NAVAL SWEEP

MADE IN MEDITERRANEAN ITALIANS AGAIN DECLINE ACTION. NUMBER OF ENEMY PLANES SHOT DOWN. The Admiralty announces, a 8.8. C. broadcast states, that the Royal Navy carried out another sweep in the eastern and central Mediterranean lasting from September 29 until October 2, during the course of which additional military forces were landed at Malta. Reconnaissance planes spotted strong enemy naval forces 100 miles away, but they were already steaming towards their base at high speed, and it was not possible to bring them to action. The British naval forces were three times attacked by enemy aircraft but no damage was done to the ships, and the enemy lost four planes. On September 29, two planes shadowing the fleet were Shot down by the Fleet Air Arm fighters. Shortly afterwards enemy planes attacked the fleet, and one was shot down by fleet fighters. Another was destroyed on Tuesday by fleet fighters. ADMIRALTY REPORT ITALIAN RETREAT AT HIGH SPEED. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.25 a.m.) RUGBY, October 3. An Admiralty communique states that the Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean has reported that the naval forces under his command carried out a sweep of the eastern and central Mediterranean from September 29 to October 2, in the course of which additional military forces were landed at Malta. During the period a strong enemy force was sighted by our reconnaissance aircraft. This enemy force was then 100 miles away from our fleet and already steaming towards its base at high speed. It therefore was not possible to bring the enemy to action. Our fleet was attacked by enemy aircraft on three occasions during these operations. No damage was sustained by our ships in any of these attacks, but losses were inflicted on the enemy. On the morning of September 29 an enemy aircraft was located shadowing our fleet and it was shot down by our fighter aricraft. Later in the day a second enemy shadowing aircraft was shot down by our fleet fighters. Soon afterwards air attacks had developed, 1 in the course of which one enemy aircraft was shot down, by anti-aircraft fire. A fourth aircraft was shot down by fleet fighters on Tuesday.