FALLING BACK

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 50, 22 November 1941, Page 9

FALLING BACK

Italians In Gondar

Area SUCCESS BY BRITISH

(Received November 21, 8 p.m.) LONDON, November 20. The capture of Ventlcinque by a famous British regiment is. reported in an East African command communique dealing with operations in Abyssinia. An enemy attempt to recapture Venticinque was repulsed. Our forces advancing from the direction of Om Ager captured two posts in the vicinity of Ambazzo and Janahoi, causing the enemy to evacuate and fall back toward Gondar. All the important Kamant chiefs have now joined our forces. Several machinegun posts in the enemy’s main positions were destroyed by direct hits from our guns. British Official Wireless states that examples of the good work local patriot forces have been doing under difficult conditions in the Gondar area of Abyssinia axe quoted in authoritative quarters in London. One story is that of a machinegun which was out of action. One of the patriots said to an officer: “Give it to me and I will get this mended for you in Gondar.” The patriot went off with the machinegun and returned with a perfectly repaired weapon. He had apparently walked through the enemy lines to Gondar, where he had persuaded an Italian armourer to repair the gun for him. In another case a party of West Africans made a four-days’ trip by mule and laid about 20 mines on a road. They clambered up the hills to watch the effect. The party saw their mines blow up enemy vehicles at dusk. The mem returned home safely and there was only one casualty. The daily communiques from Nairobi recording various moves in the campaign against Gondar, where the last, Italians have taken their stan'd, have mentioned the capture of positions which must be visualized on the map as a whole to see the plan of encirclement, which is being systematically pursued. The “Manchester Guardian” says that, guarded by its .site among high, sharp mountains rising to 9000 feet and more, and then iby the rains, Gqndar is now encircled and being steadily approached from six different points. Complete encirclement began only a few days ago, with the cutting off of communications with Lake Tana, where on the Gorgora Peninsula another body of isolated Italians still holds out. Toward the end of September Wolchefit, its northern outpost, surrendered to our columns advancing from Asmara. The loss of the Lake Tana road will not make the defence of Gondar any easier, for the lake fish, which were an important part of the garrison’s food, came by that road. There are many desertions, and the firm hand of General Nasi is said to be losing its hold. The territory remaining to him is not narrow—it stretches 25 miles to the west, for instance —and it is the kind of country easier to defend than attack. But his supplies, except munitions, are low.