The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-04-22

fires were started on the Spanish docks, and the Italian naval head quarters building, O power station and 8 military stores depot also were hit.
 Italian Batteries Fail
 The fire of the Italian batteries was ineffective and there was no loss in British ships, the admiralty said.
 While the fleet and navy planes intercepted five German troop car- rying planes and shot down four of them in flames, 1t was reported re- liably.
 The bombard.nent was an ate tempt to destroy ships and. landing facilities used by the German ar- mored divisions being taken to North Africa across the narrow strait of Sicily for the drive to Egypt.
 Heavy battle ships, as well as other types of ships, took part, 1t was indicated.
 The first admiralty communique on the bombardment had said:
 "A heavy bombardment of the Port of Tripoli was carried out by our naval forces at dawn yesterday,
 "The bombarding force consisted of both heavy and light units.
 "No further details are yet avail- able"
 Later this ampliAed communique was issued:
 More details and information have now been received concerning the naval bombardment of Tripoli carried out at dawn yesterday.
 "The naval bombardment was acc companied by bombing carried out by Royal Air Force and naval air- craft.
 At 5 c. m. heavy units of the Mediterranean fleet commenced 6 bombardment. For more than 40 minutes shells MF 15-inch and smaller calebrs were fired ct har- Dor and port installations.
 Boats Are Hit
 Clouds of dust and smoke caused by the bombardment and the bonb- ing made observation difficult but six transport or supply ships and one destroyer were seen to be hit.
 Ashore an explosion and Q large fire were caused in the vicinity of an oil dpot and the railway station was set aflre. The Spanish Quay naval headquarters, power sttion nd military stores depot were also seen to be hit.
 Some opposition was encountered from enemy coastal batteries but this was ineffective"
 The last major fleet action had been the shattering of the Italian fleet as fighting force in the bat tie of Cape Matapan March 28, when at least three Italian cruisers and three destroyers were sunk.
 Mention of heavy forces meant that the battleships were in the at- tack as well as cruisers and destroy- CTS, and 1t was assumed that planes of the fleet air arm, taking of from ircraft carriers, had also done their share as they had in pre- vious exploits of the sort.
 The navy had had some success in intercepting traffic to Tripoli. Only i've days ago 1t annihilated Q con. voy of five supply and transport ships and three escorting destroyers. On Monday the submarine Tetrarch had sunk 8 fully laden Italian tank ship on it's way to Tripoli.
 The Royal Air Force had done It's share also keeping Tripoli and Ger man. Italian communications under constant attack.
 Six days ago the fleet bombarded German tanks, motor trucks and communication lines near the Egyp- tian frontier.
 More B0mbarded
 Tn cooperating with the Army of the Nile the Mediterranean fleet bombarded Sidi Barani, Egypt, Co., tober 26; Magadicio, Italian Somali- land, November IT; Bardia, Libya, December IS. The home fleet bonn barded Cherbough, on the French invasion coast, October Il and Os- tend, on the Belgian coast, Febru- ary II.
 But the bombardment announced today was comparable only to that of Genoa at dawn on February g, when the western Mediterranean fleet threw 3.672.0 900 pounds of shells into docks, warehouses, power plants and factories.
 What these naval bombardments meant in comparison to borbard- ment by the air force in Africa was shown by e communique of the air