1941-04-24 — Page 2

THE CHINA MAIL, APRIL 24, 1941.

THE

EYE-WITNESS STORY OF NAVAL BOMBARDMENT OF TRIPOLI Over Five Hundred GERMANS

Tons Of Shells Poured Into Port

(Reuter's Special Correspondent Aboard the Flagship of a Battle

Fleet of the Mediterranean Fleet)

FLEET PLASTER TRIPOLI WITH 553

FOR 50 MINUTES YESTERDAY, I WATCHED BATTLESHIPS AND LIGHT UNITS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN ITALY'S MAIN NORTH AFRICAN PORT OF TONS OF SHELLS.

The bombardment which began shortly after dawn on Monday was the heaviest of the

war.

The results so far confirmed from air observation, include hits on destroyer berths with one destroyer badly damaged, five merchant ships burned out or sunk and at least four others hit and set on fire.

might wan Tightly talif

Visibility ahrad had been pond as we approached within 11,000 yards of the shore, but

preliminary bombing raid

the

Mad thrown and smoke.

1

WA

(1

up clouds of dust

Drifting Past

..

BIN Cen tiedy

P alske te farge Two Funnel slag fie thous belege E cebed that Bar town endane up Burge colmala 141. Third W The goal for all up

We hanefly emed we duilted part th target bring on almost the same

Through

ITIFIN

The Spanish Quay, which was one of the g prinapal abjects of the bombardment, re- ceived two 15-inch salvoes with two further probable direct hits from 15-inch guns. This was followed by ten minutes of continuous hits from lighter armaments resulting in the destruction of warehouses and offices.

Further damage was done to the power station and railway station and an army slotes depol, while a large building, thought to

an army radquaters

to collapse

WAN

Finally, a large fire was blazing following hits on an fuel depot

being is 20 muhute encountered

out this period, nu upponition wid

! All efforts. By the deletulets ap Decks were cleared for action peared to be centred on shooting which of all unnecessary gear, pictures, down the numerous flares shelves.

doors the British planes were droppin bookcases and

in batches of 12, lighting up the ward- the were stripped from

An unceasing stream of i So far Wo had been town! extremely lucky and had received any air attacks.

1

>**!*1:

room.

lest oi!-

Apart from

successes. these pilots of the Fleet Arm also scor. ed huavily during the five days we have been at sea. They shot down two shadowing 'planes and four large German troop-transports were forced down

not

RAIDING EAST

ANGLIA AND N.W

There was some enemy air activity round the British coast in daylight yes- terday.

An Air Ministry communique states that the raiders were mainly active near the East Coast. A low bombs were dropped, causing little

and damage casualties.

Enemy 'planes were reported over Fast Anglia and North Western England last

Reuter night.

no

ABSURD RUMOUR QUASHED

A categorical assurance multicoloured flaming onions rose that, despite any rumours from the smoke-smothered town to the contrary, General

They looked like necklaces leav-

U.S. AID IN THE WAR

A call for further aid and material to be fur- nished to the nations of Europe was made in a speech by Mr. La Guar lia, Mayor of New York, at a St. George's Day lun- cheon yesterday in Otla-

wa.

He declared that Canada and the Unded States were prepared to defend not only the coastline of for North America but the sear

P 900 miles from the shore Referring to and for Europe, he and that he was hopeful that motor and wou'd be fortheothing as a re suit of the Hyde Park declaration sured by President Roosevelt and MA Mackenzie King which matheed the pooling of the defence amourers of Canada and the Unit- ed States to ere art the dust effer- live and to Britons.

Referring to the change in mal-

La Chard ¡lary Jechunque, Mr

concluded! "Uniformed forces of the army and navy, the 11 de cottir, Coll, cauhof win a war any Donker

Wan 10-day are won by the i orde at bote neuple Loring too i on the fields and worker in facs fories pry during weapons." Hea-

1.

--

AUSTRALIAN SORTIE

When darkness fell, the enemy, ing strange patterns in the sky as Sir Archibald Wavell en- AUSTRALIAN TROOPS CAR- apparently still unaware of our they floated up a gigantic fire-joys the full confidence of RIED OUT TWO HIGHLY SUC- utentions, we altered course and work display. went full-speed ahead for pol

Opening Phase

Tri

While still two hours' distance

whatever of his powers of TERS

CAIRO.

direction in

the Middle

Blotted Out Soon, not only the coastline, but also the dim forms of the ship astern were completely blotted out by a pail of smoke but the British East and the Balkans, was 430 other into the sea, and badly damaged a from Tripol, we could see violent gunners had their range. After

in the House of slight. given fire and faming 125 mmutes, we altered course and large Dornier flying-boat. Dur-janti-aircraft

their swung our guns to starboard. Not Lords yesterday by Lord begun

till then did the enemy shore bat- Moyne.

ing the operations we lost only Otherwise there was one fighter. no damage nor casualties.

Convoy First

for

for

onions as the R.A.F. and Fleet Air

had already Arm altack, engaging the part defences

we took up white

position for Chombardment.

Was

We also passed a fully illum- The operation.

winch

wej

inated hospital ship about 10 went to sca obviously was

Tripoli but 41 covering certain convoys, which miles from

very unlikely that she saw the It was not until the third day blacked-out battle of had not yet risen.

was successfully carried out.

ül

at sea that the Commander this ship announced his Intention) to bombard Tripoli early following morning.

the

Our first two days at sea were entirely uneventful. We were join ed by other units of the fleet which car- few days previously had ried out a

the bombardment of Cyrenaican coast and had sunk five merchantmen with their cort of three destroyers in the Cen- Iral Mediterranean.

Air Clash

ex-

On the morning of the third day, the Fleet Air Arm had its first success when one of Italy's newest type of planes was shot down.

by

as the moon

01 us

All uur

teries open fire

25 minutes until 0550 hours.

Ships continued firing for a further

w36

of

Flashes were now visible from two shore batteries and there

an unpleasant sound shells whistling overhead. As the bombardment progressed spot- ting became more and more dif- ficult and we did not learn the, fuit results until late that after

were

RAIDS FROM TO- the Government, and has CESSFUL

BRUK ON MONDAY NIGHT, suffered no curtailment SAYS A BRITISH HEADQUAR- COMMUNIQUE FROM

and Seventeen Italian officers

ranks were captured while Jur own casualties

One enemy field gun was de- stroyed in the Sollum area.

Our patrols and artillery im question The rumur

had continuing their offensive activi- been mentioned by Lord Elibank, ties. Reuter,

who said that it apparently arose from the

visit recent

of the C.LGS., Sir John

the Dill, to Middle East,

Practice whereby Although the raid carried out

British planes had fal.cd

to start any big fires, the large number of green, blue, yellow. and white flaming onions sent up' by Tripoli defenders pro- vided ample guide as we ap proached.

I

A

For fully hall an hener, watched an intermittent barrage against our aircraft as we grad- ually crept near the shore. solitary Italian searchlight tried to pick out an encircling aircraft which was continuously dropping bombs and flares.

turrets.

noon.

My last impression of Tripoli as we drew away was a solid blan- ket of smoke and sand. Flames were and dense clouds of sinoke rising into the sky as an oil-fuel Our fir- depot blazed furiously.

seven miles

ing range was about and one ship alone fired over 150 tons of shells into the port,

With less than two hours of darkness in which to withdraw from the Tripoli coast, we were

day.

JAPANESE

DENIAL

are

Lord Moyne, in reply, pointed

A spokesman of the Nether- out that Sir John Dill's visit was

with the normal lands Bast Indles Government in accordance

personal con- yesterday denied the reports that tart between the highest military the Netherlands Foreign Minister, authorities at Home and in the Dr. Van Kleffens, will visit Aus- Held is consistently maintained. tra la according to a Japanese

Reuter. report. - Reuter.

RESPONSIBILITY

OF THE

FLEET

IN A ST. GEORGE'S DAY broadcast yesterday, prepared for a most unpleasant Admiral of the Fleet Lord Chatfield said: "How great

did not materialise.

is the responsibility of the fleet to-day? How much greater than it should have been?

"If only Britannia had not slept during those peace years but had rebuilt her navy sooner, many seamen's lives and many millions of tons of vital cargo would have been saved!

AIR ACTIVITY IN ABYSSINIA

Half an hour before the naval bombardment was due to begin, We did not expect to sit down The same afternoon, a forma, I left the flight deck from which for a mid-day meal and ships' tion of three large slow-moving I was watching the progress of cooks had been busy the previous 'planes, presumably en route to

raid, and climbed into an evening preparing cornish pasties Benghaz! from, Sicily, were sight-after 15-inch control tower which for a picnic luncheon, but the im- ed astern. British Aghters im-

was my action station,"

mediate retaliation we expected mediately gave chase, whereupon two more enemy 'planes were

Eerie Watch sighted. All proved to be Junk-

'Planes Shot Down

"In the past, a handful of Bri-. ers 55's-large triple-engined.

It was a most eerle watch in troop-carrying 'planes.

this small circular control tower We sighted an enemy seaplane tish soldiers, changed the history The combat was too far for

the which our fighters promptly des- of the world.

English seamen in small ships me to watch but I learned after-siluated immediately above

15-inch after-gun

The troyed and a large Dornier flying have driven

great enemy fleets wards that the fighters shot down only light came from instrument boat which was forced down into off the seas, four of the 'planes before run ponels and glare

from slowly the sea and took off again only to "Our foes have been, surprised ning out of ammunition. It was dropping flares through narrow be forced back into the sea badly to find our young generation as in this fight that one of Our obscrvation slits.

damaged.

superior in fighting efficiency to

Fighter aircraft of South Afri- and Wearing white helmets,

the German, I need not mention long while gauntlets, we waited Late on Tuesday afternoon, as vallant as it is a fight by which can Air Force yesterday destroy- for the zero hour of 0500. The we were hastening towards our this great generation of English-ed one Caproni over Debra Mar-

men will ever be remembered

kos, while at Almoat (à landing Towards dusk that day, a. sub-sea, was dead calm. Slowly mov- base, three Junkers 88's came over marine was reported in the neigh-ing ships sent out long ripples as but before they reached. gun in history."

Lord Chalfield concluded: ground), aircraft of a Rhodesian bourhood and British destroyers they took up positions, preceded range, our fighters intercepted

The lust

them. dropped depth-charges for over by destroyers.

One was shot down and "What we, have done before we squadron destroyed one $70 and. CA133's by. machine-gun an hour, but no offects were ter of the moon, appeared just the port engine of the second set can do again. We shall win two

I through," Heuter,

Reuter.

Are British. Wireless, observed,

over the horizon dead astern. The on fire, --

Oghters, was lost.

Submarine Warning

quar❤