BLITZKRIEG PICE OF ALLIED ADVANCE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 303, 23 December 1941, Page 5

BLITZKRIEG PICE OF ALLIED ADVANCE

TOWARDS BENGASI

Brilliant Operations In Tripoli tania U.P.A. and British Wireless. Rec. 2.30 p.m. LONDON, Dec. 22. The* Imperial forces are pursuing the enemy in Libya at a real blitzkrieg rate, reports a Press correspondent with the Bth Army. He says that all the way from Derna, in country well adapted for ambushes, the enemy has fought a delaying action which has hardly slowed up the British advance. A violent fight took place when Indian troops fell upon a large number of Italians near Giovanni and Berta, but the enemy were easily repulsed. Shortly afterwards patrols entered Apolonia. Along the road one comes upon blown-up supply depots, the debris of large tanks and numerous gun wagons with field guns coupled to them. Fuel dumps are plentiful, and one comes on the shattered walls of what were once hangars, showing the excellent work of the R.A.F. A number of our columns are now operating against the enemy's covering positions in the El Adiar region, 30 miles east of Bengasi. It seems that the German main forces are now well south of Bengasi, while the Italians are concentrated round El Adiar. In the course of operations at Jebel Adhdar an enormous amount of material was collected. Mobile Columns Harry Enemy Brilliant operations in Tripolitania are reported in the latest Cairo communique, which states: "By yesterday evening our mobile columns, which had advanced through and south of Jebel Akhdar, were pressing back the enemy holding ebvering positions east of Bengasi, while further columns were operating against enemy forces which were withdrawing towards Jedabaya. "Severe weather conditions again hampered movement on both sides, particularly in the air. Nevertheless, our air forces again reaped a rich reward from intensive action against concentrations of enemy mechanical transport on the roads and tracks along the seaboard of the Gulf of Sirte. "A few days ago one of our mechanised patrols operating over 150 miles into Tripolitania carried out a brilliant surprise attack against an enemy aerodrome which had just been taken into use. No fewer than 24 German and Italian aircraft were destroyed on the ground, dumps of petrol and bombs were demolished, and the entire garrison, which outnumbered the raiders by six to one, was accounted for." Officer's Remarkable Exploit Lying as if dead on the desert sands a week ago an English officer of the Indian Army heard German officers discuss the battle situation. For an hour tanks were firing all around him. He was partly buried in the sand by a big German tank, which missed crushing him by inches. The incident, states an agency correspondent, occurred during the momentous stand the Indians made on a line west of Capuzzo against far superior motorised forces. The officer had been thrown off his own vehicle and was being shot at by a German, who missed him. He threw himself to the ground as if mortally wounded, face downward, and remained motionless while the battle raged all around him. In one hour he gained wide experience of German tank fighting and strategy. He saw how the Germans manoeuvred, supported by mobile artillery which would be raced to one part of the battlefield, then, after hurling a few salvos, would move off in another direction. When he returned at night he was able to draft a long report on German tactics.