OPTEL No. 60
 
      Information received up to 7 A.M., 19th February, 1942. 
 
      
 
 
1. 
NAVAL
 
      On the afternoon of the 18th two of H.M. trawlers were bombed 
      and sunk off the HUMBER. A Brazilian
 
      5,000 ton merchant vessel from RIO DE JANEIRO to NEW YORK was 
      torpedoed off HAMPDEN 
 
      ROADS on the 15th.
 
      
 
 
2. 
MILITARY
 
      LIBYA.
 During the morning of the 17th our infantry and armoured 
      car patrols were pushed forward
 
      towards the positions lately occupied by the enemy opposite the 
      GAOALA position and towards 
 
      MEKILI. Apart from a number of motor transport vehicles in the 
      MEKILI area no enemy were
 
      encountered but mines were found in the area about 15 miles south-west 
      of GAOALA. Patrols of South
 
      African Armoured Cars and Royal Dragoons were in the area 10 
      miles south-east of MEKILI and 4 
 
      miles west of TENGEDER respectively.
 
      
BURMA
. Heavy and close fighting has taken place on the 
      BILIN front. A few enemy patrols crossed the
 
      river but the situation is in hand.
 
      
 
 
3. 
AIR OPERATIONS
 
      WESTERN FRONT.
 17th/18th. 23 tons of H.E. were dropped on 
      various objectives in North-West 
 
      
GERMANY.
 Heavy cloud prevented observation. 18th. During 
      seven small offensive operations our 
 
      fighters successfully attacked minor military objectives in Northern 
      FRANCE. Enemy activity over this
 
      country was slight. One bomber was destroyed by our fighters 
      and two more were damaged.
 
      18th/19th. 32 aircraft were sent out. Sea mining 25; Leaflets 
      7. One bomber is missing. Enemy activity
 
      confined anti-shipping operations in the South-Western Approaches.
 
      
LIBYA.
 16th. Kittyhawks damaged a ME 109 over EL ADEM. 
      One of them is missing. 16th/17th. 
 
      Wellingtons bombed BENGHAOI causing fires, while others laid 
      mines in the Harbour approaches. 
 
      17th. There was no enemy air activity over our forward area and 
      offensive sweeps were carried out by
 
      our fighter %s without incident.
 
      
MALTA.
 No air raids l7th/18th or 18th. TAKALI and HAL 
      FAR are flooded as the result of gales and 
 
      the heaviest continuous rain of the winter.
 
      
BURMA.
 17th. Our bombers attacked CHIENG MAI aeredrome, 
      SIAM. The main hangar and buildings 
 
      were hit and bursts were seen among twelve dispersed bombers. 
      Lysanders set fire to a warehouse at
 
      MARTABAN and hit the railway track and jetties.