1941-02-18 — Page 56

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THE CHINA MAIL, FEBRUARY 18, 1941,

EYE-WITNESS STORY OF RAID ON TRIPOLI

་ན་"

DETAILS OF THE Fleet Air Arm attack on the harbour of Tripoli are given in an eye-witness ac- count by the Exchange Telegraph Company's spe- cial correspondent with the Mediterranean Fleet. He describes how, for the second time in a fortnight, the Fleet Air Arm struck heavily at a distant Italian base.

The attack was carried out in the early hours during a periodic routine sweep of the Eastern and Central Mediterranean. Quays, warehouses, and shipping were heavily "plastered," he states, and many fires caused, He writes:

By the dim light of the

CAMOUFLAGED

GOON REAT

THE CENSOR

.

"Oh, for a good soft bed in Pine Crest," writes an Ottawa sol- dier held prisoner by the Nazis after-as

ordered praising treatment and food.

probably moon maring on the surface and sud-

in its last quarter we watched toy denly opened fire on It. From our balloons. with lights attached position the shells, showing up floating up from an aircraft-car- | against the darkening clouds like rier to test the wind. Then the tracer bullets, could be clearly heavily laden bombers took off seen, while fountains of water and vanished into the gloom. A thrown up as they exploded were period of watchful tension fol- silhouetted against the orange lowed, since such meonlight Us sunset. So night fell and, blacked there was rendered us liable to a out and battened down ready boinbing air-torpedo attack. for

action, we continued Time passed slowly as all eyes through the darkness. trained towards the direction of The following morning we were the coast. Suddenly the skyline in Greek waters, and I had my was lit by bursting anti-aircraft first glimpse of Suda Bay, with its shells and by flares dropped by white-washed houses nestling at our 'planes. Then a big burst of the foot of slopes covered with flame shot up. It seemed as though | olive trees and mist shrouding a petrol dump had been set alight.

or

All Back

Muffled up end sipping cocoa, we watched from the bridge in the gathering light and counted the aircraft as they circled pre- paratory to landing. Slowly the number mounted until the last came in, and the cry went up "All hack safely.' In a short time we were away on a different course.

un

Later we were told that the quay had been well plastered with medium and heavy bombs and at least one warehouse des. troyed. In addition one ship was hit by three bombs. Fires were

Been still burning when we were

sixty miles away

the

uny

What the prison

comp

censor would

not know is that Pine Crest is one of the best known ceme- teries in the Cana- dian capital:

the mountains in the background. HOUNDS

British Army lorries could be seen winding their way across the hills, while a gigantic Red Cross painted on its root rendered 1 large hospital unmistakable.

The peace

of this tranquil scene was suddenly-chattered as we were about to depart by the explosion of four bombs drop. ped near us from a tremendous height. All fell into the sca without causing damage,

and

AND GUIDES HUNT NAZI

Police with blood- hounds, mountain guides the raider quickly made off in and shepherds are hunt- the clouds., Throughout the

300

afternoon and evening we pro- ing over an area of ceeded on the alert for further square miles for a young German airman who

bombings, but none came.

The third morning brought 2

tossed

further flutter of excitement with gained a name at the pri- the sighting of apparently hostile While Admiral Sir James Som- aircraft, but we continued with- Son camp from which he erville's forces have been purging out incident until we noticed aescaped for his impeccable the Western Mediterranean, chas- destroyer ahead firing-on a float-

and his well- khaki-coloured mine. ing and endeavouring to give bat-ing,

We manners tle to the Italian fleet, our Eastern passed close enough to see its groomed appearance. forces have likewise been seeking evil-looking horns as it

about in the waves with bullets Now, after four days of free- engagement, sweeping whole of the Eastern and Central from the circling destroyer kick-dom, it is expected that the spruce Mediterranean. Now, as we are ing up the water all around. A young officer is like a wild man about to enter harbour, it can be

few minutes later another minie of the woods, for the police believe said that throughout the seven on the port side was similarly he is hiding in the woods and

and living on berries

anything days we have just spent at sea dealt with by destroyers. we met with no opposition at all

else he can find among the trees.

Franz von Werra, who is apart from a few seconds of bombing in Greek waters. Dur

twenty-six, was a frequent visi- tor to the north-west in the days ing that time we escorted convoys in all directions in addition

before the war, and it is in this enabling the Fleet Air Arm

area that the police are concen- carry out the bombing attack on

trating their search, Tripoli. All the time we were bombing attack on the naval They believe that Von Werra's zigzagging and doubling on

of our base

the district may the knowledge tracks in order not to outrun the following morning and that cer-baye taken him into little-fre- slow-moving convoys.

tain forces, including ourselves, quented places where only blood- would "cover" the action. With hounds er experienced mountain nightfall we put on speed in the guides will be able to find him. direction of Tripoli, Zero hour seemed to approach slowly as we took up positions for the 'planes to take off for the bombardment. "No Fun"

That afternoon our anti-aircraft guns were in action for the first time when a Cant "shadower" aircraft was sighted and driven to off.

Around tea-time came the

that to news

the aircraft-car- rier would

carry out a

of

Tripoli

early

This is the second such period! this month during which I per- sonally have seen proof of how futile is the Italian boast of "mare nostrum."

Inexorably Britain is

altered course and was making showing herself the master of Italy

for home. We cursed our luck that in all three spheres in this Medi- terranean struggle.

It had not happened the previous Under water

day, for we were now too far more than a score of her submar- ines have been sunk, in the

from the scene of action to join in air

the chase. There was nothing for her shadowing 'planes have been

fourth day it but to carry on with our job, knocked down and her fighter for- found us rejoining our other

while an escorting destroyer vicl- mations broken up and driven off, units. Throughout the day we while on the sea her battle ficct | awaited Italian revenge for

ously proceeded to pour round is suffering further casualties and bombing of Tripoli as we cruised after round into another floating refuses to give battle. And all the up and down the Central Mediter mine. We had to rest content with what news of the action we learn- time our own steady flow of men ranean carrying out certain opera-ed from the London wireless bul- and material continues through tions before we could turn for letir. this highway which Italy chooses home. But we were not menaced to call her own.

An Alarm

on

On this trip we slipped out of harbour one morning while the city was still asleep, and later, with land far out of sight, I stood the bridge of one of the famous victors of actions in the Mediter- ranean. Looking down, I could see our paravanes cutting through the water on either side

like white-bellied sharks."

With this operation successfully

the accomplished,

the

by anything more alarming than After sighting the island of heavy black clouds which quick-Crete on the sixth morning at sen ly turned the blue Mediterranean we passed without incident into a bleak North Sea with a through a notorious stretch, nf deluge of rain.

water known as “Bomb Alley," which until recently was an un- failing source of attention by Ita- lian bombers from the Dodecan-

Well into the fifth day, when more than twenty-four hours had passed entirely without. In cident, the: captain remarked, cse,

We have two cinema projectors "We would even welcome a Cant to

shoot at in order to aboard, and 'as we sailed down break the monafony," while a "Bomb Alley" the men were few minutes previously a dla entertained in the Plaza Cinema" consolate bearded salior re- on the covered deck with Walt marked to me "You must be a Disney's "Ferdinand the Bull," Jonah, sir. We haven't had any Pinocchio," and other films while fun since you have been the ship's tabby cat, Horèce, slept aboard?"!-

peacefully in his own miniature hammock slung between table legs,

Suddenly, approaching aircraft were reported and the ships im- mediately broke into loose forma- tion. All eyes focussed on nne portion of the sky. -- But no at-

Then came the news that the tack materialised and we resum- enemy feet was out. Faces bright ed normal formation. The re-ened as we waited to hear the The seventh day also passed en mainder of the morning passed locality, but news was scarce ow-tirely uneventfully, and in two without incident apart from a dis- ing to the necessity of keeping the or three hours we shall again be tant glimpse of two alteraft.

wireless silent. We heard that Ad- In-harbour, having covered some Dusk brought further excite miral Sir James Somerville's two thousand miles-without-Bo ment when one of our warships forces had made contact at long much as being splashed by an Ita- [claimed to have alghted a sub-l range, but that the enemy hudt i lan bomb.