CLOSE FIGHTING

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 249, 2 August 1941, Page 5

CLOSE FIGHTING

THE AUSTRALIANS’ SUPERIORITY OPERATIONS IN THE DESERT. TRIBUTE FROM THE GERMANS. (United Press Association—Copyright.) SYDNEY, August 1. “In every department of close-quar-ter fighting the Australian is superior to the German soldier.” This remarkable German tribute is contained in a document captured from a German prisoner in the Western Desert, and forwarded by Sir Thomas Blarney, Officer Commanding the Australians in the Middle East, to the Minister for the Army (Mr P. C. Spender). The document, when translated, stated, that the Australian’s gift of observation and his ability to draw a correct conclusion were qualities which outshone the German. 'Other assets were his use of individual weapons, particularly in sniping and his technique in the use of available cover and camouflage. The document commended the accuracy of the Australian’s sniping, several German non-commissioned officers having been shot through the head with the first shot when making observations from the front line. It was quite a common experience for Australian forward batteries to fire from the cover of an artificial dust cloud created by motor transport.