Evening star., 1940-11-14
Crofone Port Raided
By British Planes,
Italians Declare
English Claim Of Damage
To Half Of BottIeships
Fantastic Rome Says
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
ROME, Nov. l4-British bomber
formations, seeking out the seat Of
Italian naval power in an effort to
deliver crippling blows, again at
tackled the strongly fortified feet
base at Taranto and raided the
southern port of Crotone. the high
command said today.
At the same time British announce
ments of the damaging Of half Of
Italys six battleships and two Of
her cruisers in Monday night
aerial attack were described as
fantastic
On its own account the italian
air force was reported to have
counter-a attacked the British naval
base at Alexandria, bombing a
cruiser, and shot aerial torpedoes
into a convoy in the Eastern
Mediterranean to sink one steamer
and damage another.
The Italian communique said
"some damage" was caused to dwell
ings, persons were killed and IL
injured.
The bombs at Crotone, across the
Gulf of Taranto, were said to have
fallen in the harbor.
Wide Land, Air Action.
Wide land and air action on q
scattered front from Greece to the
Sudan also were reported by the
Italian communique.
On the Greek war front, the
Italians asserted their troops had
carried out successful actions in
the Kalibaki zone on the Greek
left flank, while at the opposite
end of the 100-mile battle line
Greek attacks in the vicinity OF
Koritza were repulsed with the aid
of the Italian air force.
italian pilots heavily bombed
Greek troops massed near Lake
Presba, north of Koritza, the COM
munique said.
The attack on the British convoy
in the Eastern Mediterranean was
said to have been carried out by
torpedo carrying planes. A naval
scouting plane verified reports Of the
attacking pilots that at least one OF
the convoy vessels had been sunk,
the high command declared.
No details were given concerning
the bomb hit reported scored on a
British cruiser at Alexandria. Sue
cessful attacks were reported on
other obiectives in the Alexandria
district. however, including a rail-
way and flying field. All Italian air.
craft were reported to have returned
to their bases.
Durazzo and VOlOna Bombed.
The Italians said enemy" planes
the communique did not specify
whether they were British or Greek
had again bombed the Albanian
ports of Durazzo and Valona. At
Valona six persons were reported
killed and 80 injured. No damage
or casualties were reported at Du-
razzo.
Two of the planes which raided
Taranto, where damage was said to
have been limited to civilian dwell
ings, were listed as probably" shot
down
Two other British bombers were
said to have been shot down by
Italian fighters over the Italian
island of Pantelleria, another off
Cagliari, Sardinia and two more
over the eastern Mediterranean.
A supplementary communique de-
scribed as mostly fantastic" the
British Admiralty's claims to have
disabled half of Italy's capital ship
strength in torpedo-plane raid on
the Taranto naval base.
Statement Promised.
Yesterday MI Churchill gave out
version in the House of Commons
Of what took place which, in large
part, is fantastic" the communque
said. TT is not considered neces-
sary on the Italian side to hasten
to reply to such tremendous altera-
| tions of truth as those contained
in Mr.. Churchill's speech and in the
declaration of the First Lord of the
Admiralty. Occasion will not be
lacking in the next few days for a
final. detailed statement, not only
on the TaIanto episode, but on the
whole naval warfare and air and
naval situation in the Mediterra-
nean."
Implying that italian forces still
hold Gallabat, fortified town on
the Egyptian-Sudan frontier, con-
trary to British claims. the COM
munique stated that "the enemy
fired artillery without consequence
on our positions at Gallabat.'