The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-07-20
Grounded Enemy Planes Are Blasted; Attack Car.
 ried Out Sunday ITALIAN INFANTRYMEN
 AMONG PRISONERS British Air Force Hits Ger many Again; Submarine
 Shipyards Smashed
BY LEON KAY

United Press Staff COrrespondenAa
 Cairo, July 20.-(UP)- British armed forces have captured more than 5000 Axis prisoners in the last 10 days, blasted grounded en- emy planes in one of the greatest surprise attacks of the desert war and maintain- ed the initiative on the desert front, it was disclosed today.
 The surprise raid by the Royal Air Force, with which the growing U. s. Middle East air force has been cooperating, was carried out at the Axis landing grounds at Fl Daaa Sunday, where 8 large force of light bombers and fighter bombers plaS- tered the field with high explosives.
 The Fl Daba field, just west of the Axis lines, was 80 torn and ripped by the bombs that the great dust clouds made accur- ate observation of the damage irns possible, but the lighter bombsfs, which swept in behind the light bombers, saw the bombs fall ac- curately among the grounded craft.
 One four-engined plane was seen burning and several smaller craft were in flames. The RAF, after sweeping the field, turned on Axis planes coming in for landings and shot at the field, the RAF swept over the dust clouds and released their last bombs.
 Most Are Italians
 Most of the prisoners are Italian infantrymen, many of whom do not appear to have much stomach for further fighting in the desert heat and sand.
 Tn the southern sector the In1= perial forces of Gen. Sir Claude Auchinleck's eighth army contacted the enemy at two points, hill called Gepel Kalakh and the pla. teau Fl Taq. Both are about 2s miles southewtst of Fl, Alamein.
 The RAF working in cooperation with the ground battle force in this same sector scored direct bomb hits yesterday on six out of seven enemy tanks and destroyed a gun trailer and one other vehicle. One of the tanks burst into flames. v
 An enemy transport in the gen- eral sector also was attacked yes- terday by RAF fighter-bombers and the action was so close to the for- ward British lines that the ground forces attested to the accuracy ot the bombing.
 U. s. Tanks Help
 Reinforced by steady flow oS British and American tanks, th0 Imperial forces had made further gains on all three sectors of the front and yesterday, impeded by sand storms, they maintained all their positions on the dominenS ridges of the northern and central areas and in the southern dust bowl.
 Tn one of the heaviest raids of tha campaign, fighter -bombers and light bombers, escorted by fighters, fought their way through the swirling dust clouds yesterday to raid an enemy occupied airdrome west of the bat~ tie line to destroy or damage many grounded planes and shoot down five enemy planes which were about to land.
 Other planes scored direct hits on enemy tanks in raid in the south- ern area and started fires.
 Heavy bombers, which may hav0 included American army air corps planes, made a daylight attack on the Axis base at Tobruk, acorn- munique of the Middle East com mand and the Royal air force said
 But one allied plane was missing from all operations.
 In the north, the Australians con.
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