Page 53
Page 53
machine-gun fire, and the ship was left alight. Another convoy of three merchant. vessels and a destroyer was attacked by five Blenheims in the Gulf of Sirte; one ship of 5,000 tons was hit and left with a list to starboard, a schooner was also hit and was last seen low in the water, while a near miss was made on the other merchant vessel of 2,000 tons. Three Blenheims are missing. Five Albacores operating under the A.O.C., Malta, laid mines in the sea off Marsala.
49.
Hurricane bombers carried out an offensive patrol over South-East Sicily; they bombed a train and a water tower at Noto Station, and also shot up a factory and signal boxes with cannon and machine-gun fire.
50. On two nights the enemy carried out small offensive operations against Malta without causing any damage of importance.
Eastern Mediterranean.
51. Our reconnaissance aircraft have been active over shipping routes between Crete and Libya, road communications in Western Cyrenaica, aerodromes in Crete and Libya, and enemy positions in the frontier area. Tactical and strategical reconnaissances were flown on the 18th November, but results were limited by very unfavourable weather and sandstorms.
52. Night offensive operations were undertaken by Wellingtons, which flew a total of 155 sorties. On the first three nights of the week railway sidings, stores dumps and the harbour at Benghazi were the principal objectives, and three direct hits were made with 4,000-lb. bombs. Other attacks were made on aircraft stores at Berca, where a violent explosion was reported, on the stores dumps at Bardia, on the town of Derna and on the aerodromes at El Tmimi, El Gazala, Derna and Martuba. On the night of the 16th/17th November five Bombays were despatched with parachute troops whose object was the destruction, on the following night, of enemy aircraft on the ground at El Tmimi and El Gazala. To divert attention from the Bombays, Wellingtons carried out a heavy attack on these two landing grounds; bad weather prevailed and one Bombay and one Wellington are missing.
53. In daylight on the first six days, Marylands made over 110 bombing sorties; the attacks, which averaged about eight aircraft, were concentrated against enemy aerodromes. Bombs were seen to fall among dispersed aircraft, a substantial number of which were known to be destroyed or damaged. A direct hit was made on the barracks at Berca, and two successful raids were made on the stores dumps at El Gazala. During these offensive operations our casualties were light and on only two occasions were our aircraft intercepted by enemy fighters, as a result of which one Me. 110 was shot down and two Marylands are missing. On the 19th November, 32 sorties by Marylands and Blenheims were carried out in the Gambut/Bardia/Capuzzio area against enemy A.F.Vs and M.T., with satisfactory results.
over
54. Large numbers of enemy transport aircraft have recently been reported flying between Crete and Cyrenaica. On the 18th and 19th November Beaufighters intercepted and shot down seven Ju. 52s and one H.S. 126, and on the ground they destroyed four S. 79s, five Ju. 87s, two Me. 109 Fs and one Fieseler Storch. 55. Our fighters have also provided some bomber escorts, and have patrolled our forward areas and attacked ground targets in enemy territory. Hurricanes intercepted an enemy bomber escorted by eight G. 50s and shot down two of the escort; a Me. 110 was also destroyed over the frontier area.
In an attack made by 24 Tomahawks on 15 Italian fighters at Sidi Rezegh landing ground (15 miles E.S.E. of El Adem) two of the enemy aircraft were destroyed and the remaining 13 damaged. Beaufighters destroyed 20 motor vehicles and four petrol tankers in the Binina area, and also damaged about 30 motor vehicles near Derna. Motor transport was twice effectively attacked by Blenheim fighters on the Jedabya-El Agheila road and many vehicles were extensively damaged.
56. On 18th November, 17 bombers with fighter escort successfully attacked 200 to 300 A.F.Vs. and M.T. which were bogged at Bir el Gobi. On the same day Hurricanes shot down three C.R. 42s over Jalo (220 miles S.S.E. of Benghazi), and destroyed two aircraft on the ground at Gasr es Sahabi (60 miles S.E. of Jedabya), where two other aircraft were also damaged by Blenheims.
Page 53
Page 53
Page 53