PREPARATIONS FOR ASSAULT

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23324, 9 May 1941, Page 9

PREPARATIONS FOR ASSAULT

Germans Outside Tobruk BRITISH NIGHT PATROLS (Received May 8, 11 p.m.) (U.P.A.) LONDON, May 8.. The Germans are preparing for their next assault on Tobruk in a record heat-wave, with the temperature well over 100 degrees, and a sand-laden wind like a blast from a furnace. Metals are so hot that they blister the hands. The British garrison has cool bungalows and Italian-built underground raid shelters, but the Germans, who are not acclimatised, are exposed to the full, blazing fury of the desert. There is not a tree for 50 miles, and tents become hothouses. Their tanks are not air-conditioned and men faint in them. An officer from Tobruk said the way the defenders had hurled back the last two enemy attacks had given the troops additional confidence, and they are taking the initiative in whirlwind night patrol actions, in which they rob the Germans of machine-gunfc, rifles, and all sorts of equipment. The Germans, he said, had learned to be cautious, after Australians let the entire motorised machine-gun units behind a spearhead of tanks get inside the defences, and then blew them to pieces from both sides, from the front, and from behind. The garrison has plenty of food and water, he added. Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Blarney; Deputy-Commander-in-Chief, Middle East, has advised Mr P. C. Spender, the Australian Minister for the Army, that part of the defences of Tobruk taken by the enemy on May 1 were retaken by Australian forces on Monday. Reports from Cairo say that divebombing attacks on Tobruk have slackened, although the Germans are still attacking shipping in the port and its approaches. The garrison, which is under the command of an Australian, MajorGeneral L. J. Morshead, consists chiefly of Australians, with some English and Indian troops. Their constant attacks on the enemy, together with shelling and bombing, are inflicting considerable losses. The Germans bring up artillery md mortars at night, but their accuracy is unimpressive and the garrison remains confident. It includes some of the hardiest troops in the Army of the Nile, notably some Australian sappers who walked 300 miles in 16 days after escaping from the enemy and passing through his lines. Patrols continue to harass the Germans in the Solium region. Their success has forced the Germans to send out patrols to protect the coastal force. The Germans have found that track-driven armoured vehicles are unsuitable for prolonged desert operations and they are gradually discarding some types of tanks ih favour of heavy eight-wheeled armoured cats mounting a gun. A communique from British General Headquarters in Cairo states; “On Monday night our troops in Tobruk successfully attacked forward enemy posts, inflicting casualties and taking a number of prisoners. On Tuesday communication and observation were again made difficult by a severe sandstorm, and further details are lacking. In the Solium area, our mechanised forces .continue their vigorous patrolling activities.’’ Raids By R.A.F, A communique from Royal Air Force Headquarters in the Middle East says: “During the night of May 4-5, Calato aerodrome, on the island of Rhodes, was raided. A number of large fires were started and considerable damage was caused by a heavy bombing attack. “The aerodromes at Benina, Derna. El Gazala, Bardia, and Berka, as well as the harbour at Benghazi, were raide.d by our heavy bombers during the night of May 5-6. A hangar was set on fire at Berka, causing large explosions, and at Benina bombs were dropped very close to dispersed aircraft, starting a number of fires. “At the other targets the damage was also considerable. - “In Abyssinia, the remnants of an Italian force were bombed and machine-gunned persistently by the Royal Air Force, a Rhodesian squadron and the South African Air Force. “A heavy raid was carried out on Malta by the enemy on Tuesday, and some damage was caused to both military and civil property. Our fighters intercepted the enemy, but were in turn attacked by Messerschmitts. The combat was inconclusive. “From all these operations, five of our aeroplanes are missing, the pilots of two being safe.” It is reported from Rome that Colonel Carlo Amione, DirectorGeneral of Mechanisation at the Italian War Office, was killed In an air raid in North Africa on May 3 (on this date the Royal Air Force raided Benghazi). The Rome radio stated that Colonel Amione had rendered very high service in developing the mechanisation of the Italian Army. MORE GAINS IN ABYSSINIA PRESSURE ON AMBA ALAGA (8.0. W.) RUGBY, May 7. A communique from British General Headquarters in Cairo dealing with the Abyssinian front states: “Our converging movement upon Amba Alaga is progressing satisfactorily. While pressure from the north is increasing, Imperial troops have occupied Quoram, which is only 30 miles south of the main Italian position. In this operation, a number of prisoners have been taken, including one general. “In the southern area, our troops have engaged the enemy, holding a strong position at Wadara, 30 miles south of Neghelli. This operation is also continuing favourably. “On the north-east coastal sector of Italian Somaliland, we have occupied Bender Kassin, capturing 100 Italian prisoners and a quantity of war material.” The triumphant entry of Haile Selassie into Addis Ababa on the fifth anniversary of its occupation by the Italians is a source of great satisfaction in London. Although operations continue in the interior of Abyssinia, and while it would be premature to assume that the final collapse of the Italian forces is at hand, the Emperor’s entry into his capital affords striking proof not only of the brilliant success which so far has attended the campaign for the liberation of Abyssinia, but of the measure of assistance extended by the British Government. Thus, Britain has fully implemented (he promise which on the morrow of the Italians’ participation in the war was given to the Emperor in London, when facilities were also extended to him to return immediately to Africa. In the House of Commons on February 4. Mr R. A. Eden, the Foreign Secretary, after stating that the British Government would welcome the reappearance of an independent Ethiopian Stale, added: “The Emperor has intimated that he will need outside assistance and guidance. The British Government agrees with this view and considers that any such assistance and guidance in economic and political matters should be an international arrangement at the conclusion of peace. It has no territorial ambitions in Abyssinir..” A high tribute is paid to the manner in which the patriot forces have rallied to the Emperor’s standard, and to the courage and endurance displayed by them in action and under the hardship of long marches.