Word: tobruch
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Dates: during 1940-1940
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Hopping-off place for Graziani's attack is Tobruch, Italy's coastal base near the Egyptian border, protected by nearby air bases at El Aden and El Gubbi. These three spots have been targets for incessant British air raids, to prevent an expeditionary force from getting organized. Last week torpedo-carrying Fairey Swordfish planes of the Naval Air Service climaxed these attacks by striking transports, supply ships and a tanker in Tobruch harbor...
Personally piloting a heavy bomber last week on "an official mission," accompanied by the Consul General of Tripoli, the editor of Il Corriere Padano (Balbo's newspaper), a Balbo nephew and a brother-in-law, Marshal Balbo was suddenly attacked by machine-gun fire over Tobruch, Italy's coastal base near the Libya-Egypt border. High in the bright blue African sky his crew of three returned the fire. Holes were sewn down the fuselage of their ship and it caught fire. Down it slid, trailing black oil smoke. It crashed, killing all occupants including the 44-year...
Next day the British Air Ministry solemnly announced that no planes of theirs did any shooting that day over Tobruch. Thus the Italian people were left free to wonder if one of the most popular candidates to succeed II Duce fell under the fire of an Italian Fiat...
...because all land forces involved therein must be supplied by sea. Commanding the British naval forces based on Alexandria was Vice Admiral Andrew Browne Cunningham, who last week had to report the torpedoing of the anti-aircraft cruiser Calypso, apparently during action against Italy's Libyan base at Tobruch. His ships sank several Italian submarines and the old cruiser San Giorgio remodeled for coast defense. The British said they were mining the approaches to Venice and the waters around Italy's heel...