Evening star., 1942-08-31
British Worships She'll FL Dobo,
Return Under 5O-Stuko Attack
Eyewitness Tells How FIotio Smashed
RommeTs Big Supply Base in Desert

but the pilots paid little attention
either to the guns or the other
vessels.
They droned close, then pulled
out of their dives. There was the
terrifying swish of heavy bombs.
Holing the sea close alongside the
destroyer, the bombs gave her a
huge jolt, but she plowed on.
Heavier and heavier assaults
came in succession. Thousands of
empty shell cases Uttered the decks,
gunners were weary and the super
structure was riddled by bullets.
The dive-bombers persisted until
the destroyer was we'll within sight
of our home base.
Nevertheless, the lieutenant COM
mander reported the casualties were
slight. I escaped with cuts, bruises
and shock.
Also Shelled From Ashore.
There were times 1 thought I
would never get out of it alive.
It's funny, but once when I had
my face pressed to the deck a little
brown cockroach scampered before
my eyes. My first impulse was to
kill it. But l knew it wanted to
live. I f1icked 1t away.
The dive -bombers came in teams
OF skies or tens.
Exclamations punctuated the ex-
plosions. .--sas@ 4s.. ~
"Stukas! Diving. Aircraft-range
one four zero"
/ thanked God at least We had
not run out of ammunition, for if
that ever happened the Stukas
might blast the warships out of the
sea like sitting ducks in shooting
gallery.
Big bombs washed the destroyer's
decks with geysers of water and
sand from the bottom of the Medi-
terranean.
German shore batteries then
opened fire.
simultaneously, more Stukas roar
ed overhead. Near misses rocked
the vessel.
A dozen or more German shells
whistled over my head before the
| destroyer passed out of range of
the land-baSed guns. The destroyer
never answered the shore Smelling.
We were involved enough with the
Stukas.
I had had no food or water since
the previous night. But there was
water in a wash basin in the cabin OF
lieutenant, apparently poured just
before the attacks started.
1t didn't matter. I drank it to
wet my parched tongue. My lips
were SO dry they fairly cracked, and
/ couldn't even make myself heard
in conversations with sailors.
A petty officer found some ham
and bread on the mess deck. 7 ate
ravenously.
! A Nazi flyer dropped stick of
eight bombs on our port side. Smoke
poured from the tail of his plane
as he pulled away under the gun
fire.
British fighters appeared to battle
the enemy squardons and brought
down one plane
Italian bombers and Messerschmitt
fighter -bombers sped into the fray
and explosives fell by the score
British seamen nearly dropped from
exhaustion. Minutes seemed like
hours.
Within sight Of our home quay
the Axis crews ceased their assaults
Admiral Praises Attack.
The launch of Admiral Sir Henry
H. HarWood, commander in chief o.
the British Mediterranean fleet
swished toward the destroyer acros:
the blue waters and the lieutenan
commander reported by megaphont
that the ships casualties were
slight.
We'll done, you ALL" the admira
said
tThe German high command
said yesterday that a British de-
stroyer had been badly damaged
by bomb hits off Ell Daba and
that II British planes were shot
down.
Naval aircraft spoilers reporte,
that the shelling of the Ell Dab;
concentration, one of the most i'm
portant bases for repair and equip
ping of Marshal Rommel's tank
and an advanced supply center TO
the entire army, exceeded expecta
tions. s.~ .-
Fire control was plotted iron
photographs supplied by aerial re
connaissance camera crews. Nava
planes dropped flares over Sand
Hill, a land mark of Ell Daba, an,
that hill was the aiming point 70
the concentration of broadsides OF
the base about 2 miles inland.
Their guns spouting flame, tn
warships sailed slowly past Ell Dab
and then reversed to send out othe
Salvoes.
There was no immediate respons
from the Axis shore batteries, who's
crews were undoubtedly surprised
but a few hostile shells whistle,
out as the fleet made Its turn.