POOR SHOWING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 151, 27 June 1940, Page 7

POOR SHOWING.

ITALIAN TROOPS. British Successes In Minor Encounters. WAR MATERIALS CAPTURED. British Official Wireless. RUGBY, Juiie 20. Although no major military operations have yet been undertaken in Africa, it is clear that minor encounters with Italian troops have so far resulted in .substantial British successes.

On the Kenya front the border town of Moyale has been successfully raided several times and stores there have been captured.

At EI Wak an attack succeeded in destroying Italian barracks and ammunition stores. Before withdrawing the British troops repulsed a strong counter-attack by the enemy, inflicting heavy casualties. • Abyssinians Assist British. On the Sudan front the garrison at Jlettema was attacked by our "troops, assisted by Abyssinians, and 50 casualties were inflicted on the enemy. From our base at Kassaloa. an attack was made on a column of Italian colonial troops, who were routed with the loss of 25 killed and 10 captured. On the British Somaliland front there have been only skirmishes, but these have invariably resulted in our irregular troops gaining the advantage. In both Italian East Africa and Libya repeated air attacks have destroyed parked aircraft belonging to the enemy, ammunition dumps, petrol stores and aircraft workshops. British forces captured three frontier posts on the Libyan front and armoured patrols penetrated deeply behind the enemy's front lines. The enemy's surprise in every case lias been complete. Italian Officers Taken. British losses have , been small, whereas the enemy has suifered con* siderably on several occasions, and British troops have captured 25 Italian officers, including the senior EngineerGeneral of the 10th Army, and GOO other ranks. Twelve light tanks have been captured or destroyed and much other material taken. ■ '

Many of the Libyans conscripted into the Italian forces who have fallen into British hands have expressed the hope that they might be allowed to fight for the liberation of their country from Italian tyranny.

A quantity of shipping concentrated In Tobruk harbour was attacked with success, and the Italian cruiser San Giorgio suffered heavy damage.

In air combat the Italians have given ft poor account of themselves and their performance seems to confirm the belief that the training of Italian pilots and staff has been relatively inadequate.

British forces have" destroyed more than 50 Italian aeroplanes by combat or by ground defences on the various fronts.