PHANTOM FRENCHMEN' HOLD BIR HACHEIM

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 134, 9 June 1942, Page 5

PHANTOM FRENCHMEN' HOLD BIR HACHEIM

ENEMY AMAZED

Grim Defence Of Desert

Outpost

t'.P.A. and British Wireless. Rec. 1.30 p.m. LONDON, June 8. A graphic account of the fine resistance by the Free French at Bir Harhelm has reached London frofn a Free French war correspondent, who savs: "Spitting sand from their teeth and shaking it from their hair. General Koenig's lean, grim and unshaven ghosts have risen to the occasion once again and hurled back another heavy Axis assault at Bir Hacheim. The attack, preceded by artillery fire, was made with numerous tanks. "General Koenig's men are described as ghosts Toy Italian prisoners who say: 'We are beginning to believe that Bir Hacheim is held by phantom Frenchmen. We cannot believe they are still alive after the terrific pounding we have been giving them in the last ten days.' As soon as the Axis armoured forces were sighted the alarm was flashed to every man. The French held their fire and then at a given signal let them have it. The desert seemed to shudder at the concerted barking of their 75's, mingled with the staccato rattle of machine-guns. The German tanks stopped in their tracks or slewed round in circles, churning Sp sand like great jungle beasts in leir death throes. "On Sunday for the fifth time enemy officers advanced with a white flag and called upon General Koenig to surrender. The French were beginning to find this sport a trifle monotonous, as they were running short of epithets with which to embellish their replies." Intense Battering Bir Hacheim successfully resisted bitter new tank attacks which followed an intense battering from 80 German guns and 70 Stuka dive bombers, reports the Libya correspondent of the Daily Telegraph. The Times correspondent in the Western Desert states that a German column which skirted Bir Hacheim and attempted to take the British from the rear was 18 miles long, and consisted of from 50 to 70 tanks and 2000 motor transports, with motorised infantry and mobile artillerv. Another German column which reached the neighbourhood of Ki Adam was not merely a raiding column, but was intended to mak<a large-scale determined counterattack against our flank.

Imperial troops, using mostly light tanks, which the Germans outgunned and outranged, engaged the enemy and managed to deflect the column. There they hung on until heavier armoured units arrived.

The correspondent of The Times, reviewing the campaign, says the ability to deliver a knock-out blow depends on the number of heavy tanks we cdn throw in. We are much stronger in fire power than in previous campaigns, but could well be stronger still. Even when in vastly superior numbers, light tanks are practically impotent against the heavily-armoured German medium and heavy tanks.

" Fire Belching Vehicles " A Cairo message reports that swarms of Imperial fighters J®nd fighter-bombers were over the German forces in the Devil s Cauldron, giving them no respite and pouring down hundreds of Dombs and mm* drerls of rounclß of cannonfire. one pilot said the area was a confused mass of fire belching vehicles. The general view In London of the fiKhting as revealed by the t armv communique is that tne opposing forces are now about in tlv middle of the second round. The British attack was followed by an enemy counter-attack, which was repulsed. This counter-attack originated from a concentration o* armoured forces in the now famous gap in the line stretching from frax;ila in the north to Bir Hacheim in the south. The steadiness and stamina of the Free French troops in ftir Hacheim is still a matter fa* congratulation.

I"he Libyan battle has reached new , r i f vio,cnc, ° and the issue is ?• I Y'"li • states the British . ni'P<l Press correspondent in a dispatch from the Western Desert on Saturday night. K.A.F. Offensive Continues The R.A.P. Middle East communique says that in close support ofour land forces our fighters and bombers were in action throughout yesterday in the forward areas j-. Cyrenaica, operating in particular against enemy supply columns and armoured units in the area. -Numerous enemy were destroyed and one Messprschmitt 109 was shot down Other enemy aircraft were damaged. Bengasi and Martuba were raided and objectives at Messina, in Sicilv were attacked on Saturday night'. " ' In the 24 hours ending at midday our fighters destroyed four Messerschmitt 109 s over Malta. One was shot down by anti-aircraft fire. Five of our aircraft are missing from all operations, but the pilots of three are safe.