BIG ADVANCE IN LIBYA

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 113, 6 February 1941, Page 7

BIG ADVANCE IN LIBYA

Highland March PRESSING ON IN ERITREA

Enemy’s Heavy Losses

‘ (By Telegraph. —Press Assn,-—Copyright.) Received February 5, 9.30 p.m. LONDON, February 4

General Wavell’s forward troops in Cyrenaica are pushing on beyond Cirene, which was Marshal Graziani’s headquarters for the conquest of Egypt and which is officially reported to have been captured. Infantry with machine-guns are assumed to have taken El Gubba. the last fortified town on the coastal route to Benghazi. El Gubba straddles the 50-mile main road from Derna to Cirene. Cirene is 1800 feet above sea-level and beyond Apollonia, which was presumably cut off. The Italians are apparently withdrawing en masse along the parallel road from Cirene to Barce. After fighting their way from Derna under the Italian artillery fire, the British forces climbed the hillsides inland to the enemy s level and resumed the forward drive. The troops marched on foot wit i the artillery and stores in the rear. Hardly a shot was fired between there and El Gubba. The Italians preferred to rely on land-mines and booby traps, dynamiting roads and blowing up bridges. Tn west Abyssinia the British forces pushing on toward Gondar are now over 30 miles from the Sudanese frontier in spite of detei mined obstructive tactics by the Italians. PRESSING TIRED ENEMY. The British in Eritrea are five miles west of Keren, gathering as they press on great batches of prisoners and also, masses of guns, lorries and ammunition which the Italians have jettisoned. The British guns are harassing the tired Italian troops with tremendous barrages. Already the Italian rearguard has been halved and has lost 70 per cent, of its'material. The captors of Barentu took prisoner 1500 of them and killed 500 and captured a large quantity of guns, ammunition and stores. ' General Wavell recently visited the Eritrean battlefront and watched a phase of the battle at Barentu. [Later news of the advances in North and East Africa, given in a 8.8. C. bulletin late last night, stated that Royal Air Force planes, which are active ahead of the British advance toward Benghazi, report that the Italians are retreating from Barce along the road to Benghazi. In Eritrea the British advance has now taken them 150 miles from the Sudanese frontier to the outskirts of Keren, which is said to lack strong defences and is strategically unsuitable to withstand an attack. In Italian Somaliland British patrols are now established 60 miles

inside enemy territory.] Keren is one of the important rail centres in Eritrea, and the R.A.F. has heavily pounded the station which is at the top a cliff-like escarpment in the 6000 ft. uplands. The Italians, unless they are completely demoralized, are likely to attempt a big stand in this heaven-sent defence position. Sudanese armoured units form the

spearhead of the British drive, while heavier forces are mopping up isolated centres of opposition. The road from Agordat is thick with guns, armoured cars, and lorry-loads of troops protected by British fighters and anti-aircraft batteries. The forces from Barentu are advancing steadily. One enemy post manned by natives stoutly held out till it was surrounded, but the main body of the Italians is retreating. Scores of Abyssinian soldiers are deserting to the British. A Cairo headquarters communique this evening states that in southern Abyssinia the capture of frontier posts on'the Dukana front, referred to in i yesterday’s communique, resulted in the infliction of nearly 100 casualties, killed and captured, at slight cost to ourselves. Intensive patrol activity has continued in Italian Somaliland. A Nairobi communique says that Imperial forces operating from Kenya are making good progress along the front. British forces are showing themselves more than a match for the enemy, and our casualties are very slight.