“Italian planes successfully raided Gibraltar and all machines returned to Italy safely after sinking three British destroyers and leaving half of the Rock in flames following a petrol dump explosion.”
Mightily surprised were Gibraltar residents, who had seen neither planes nor bombs, to hear this announcement over the Rome radio. Not surprised, but mad clear through, were the people of La Linea, just over the Spanish boundary, when they tuned it in. Early the same morning unidentified planes had swooped over the Spanish town, bombed several houses to bits, killed eight of the townspeople, wounded 19.
Since La Línea had no destroyers to sink or petrol dumps to burn, for once the world had a gauge of the accuracy of Italian Air Force communiqués.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- The Reintroduction of Kamala Harris
- The 7 States That Will Decide the Election
- Is the U.S. Ready for Psychedelics?
- Inside Sam Bankman-Fried's Siege of D.C.
- Do You Really Store Stress in Your Body?
- The Rise of a New Kind of Parenting Guru
- The 50 Best Romance Novels to Read Right Now
- Can Food Really Change Your Hormones?
Contact us at letters@time.com