Imperial Army Takes 15,000 Prisoners

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23495, 25 November 1941, Page 7

Imperial Army Takes 15,000 Prisoners

N.Z. TROOPS ESTABLISH STRONG POSITIONS (UNITED PBES3 ASSOCIATION—COPTBIOHT.) (Received November 24, 11 p.m.) LONDON, November 24. The battle in Libya is raging as fiercely as ever. One correspondent with the Bth Army quotes British headquarters as saying late last night that the situation was good. • • & The enemy is believed to be bringing up fighter aircraft to reserve bases and troop reinforcements in troop-carrying aircraft. There is far fiercer fighting in the air than there was in the earlier stages, but the Royal Air Force is making havoc of the enemy’s supply lines. On the other hand, Royal Air Force circles in Cairo say that not a single Royal Air Force supply vehicle has been lost so far. It appears that the main tank battle is going on round Sidi Rezegh, 10 miles south-east of Tobruk. Here the bulk of the German armoured forces is engaged between General Sir Alan Cunningham’s forces, to the south and south-east, and the tanks and supporting troops that have broken out of Tobruk, to the north. In the Bir el Gobi region, 40 miles south of Tobruk, Italian armoured troops have been stiffened by the arrival of some Germans. Between Bardia and Solium, New Zealand troops are strongly established on the escarpment and some New Zealand forces are said to be pushing along the road to the west to join the big battle round Sidi Rezegh. The German forces between Halfaya and Sidi Omar are fighting hard, but they are under increasing pressure inside the ring thrown round them by Indian, British, and New Zealand troops. The British United Press correspondent with the Bth Army a,says that the British have so far taken prisoner nearly 15,000 j Italians and Germans. An Indian division captured 8000 Italians in the Sidi Omar area, with considerable equipment. This correspondent describes the fighting round Sidi Rezegh as very stiff and says that Sidi Rezegh has changed hands several times.