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Egersund Harbour and secured at least three direct hits; another ship in convoy North of Ameland was possibly hit, and near misses were reported on two merchant vessels off Dieppe and another off Fécamp.

39. Weather conditions interfered with photographic reconnaissance on a number of days. On the 1st January, however, extensive operations were carried out and photographs were taken over many channel ports and in the Bremen, Wilhelmshaven and Bergen areas. During the week mines were laid by both Bomber Command and Coastal Command aircraft off Kiel, Havre, St. Nazaire and Brest.

40. Enemy minelaying was reported only on two nights and was on a considerably reduced scale. Enemy coastal reconnaissance operations were also slightly reduced.

Malta.

41. During the week reconnaissances were made of the Ionian Sea and of ports in Southern Italy and Sicily; Pantellaria and Tripoli were also visited. During some of these flights enemy fighters were sighted, but did not attack.

42. Three formations of enemy aircraft flew over Malta on the 29th December, probably on reconnaissance, and on the following day three bombers escorted by fighters attacked Luqa aerodrome; three bombs were dropped and one of our aircraft was slightly damaged. Attempts to intercept these formations were unsuccessful.

Greece and Albania.

43. Our bombers have continued their attacks on Valona and have attacked Krionero, the loading port for Albanian crude oil. Eight Blenheims took part in a successful attack on the latter, and sustained some damage from Italian fighters, though all returned to their base. A number of the enemy broke off the combat as if damaged. Valona was raided on three occasions by a total of eighteen Blenheims, which successfully bombed the aerodrome and harbour in very bad weather. Two aircraft were lost in the course of these operations.

On the 30th December Blenheims shot down an Italian flying boat, while covering the landing of Greek supplies at Preveza. A Gladiator destroyed an Italian bomber south of Salonica.

Egypt and Libya.

44. Operations this week have continued on a heavy scale. The port and shipping at Tripoli, enemy landing grounds and the defences of Bardia have provided the principal targets. On the night of the 1st/2nd January ten Wellingtons from Malta dropped over eighteen tons of bombs on the port works and shipping at Tripoli. Direct hits were seen on a number of merchant vessels and near the power station, seaplane hangars and customs jetty. All our aircraft returned undamaged. On the following day a merchant vessel and a destroyer previously located there were not seen, but a large oil patch covered one-third of the harbour.

45. The aerodromes at Derna, Tmimi and Gazala were twice heavily attacked, by fifteen Blenheims on the 29th December and by twenty-seven on the 1st January. Nine Blenheims attacking Derna on the 1st were intercepted by a single C.R. 42, which pressed home the most determined attacks and damaged five of them. Wellingtons have continued these attacks by night. At least five and probably many more enemy aircraft were destroyed on the ground. On the 31st twenty-seven Blenheims attacked enemy troops and transport in the Bardia Defence Zone.

46. Our fighters have continued to maintain their ascendancy over the Italian Air Force. On the 26th Gladiators of the Royal Australian Air Force shot down without loss two, and probably six, of a number of C.R. 42 fighters which were escorting a bomber formation, and on the 28th Hurricanes shot down three bombers and a fighter, again without loss.

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