WHY NO ATTACK

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 54, 31 August 1940, Page 11

WHY NO ATTACK

ITALIANS ON EGYPT

ATTEMPT EXPECTED

BRITISH IRRITANTS

LONDON, August 30.

An appreciation of the situation in Egypt and Libya was given by military authorities In London today. They believe that the pin-pricking tactics of the British forces and the hard slogging of the Navy and Air Force have delayed the expected Italian attack on Egypt, but say that we must expect this attack to materialise sponer or later.

The Italians have been concentrating for some time about Barclia, over the Libyan border, and appeared Lo be ready for an advance a month ago.

There is no reason, why the Italians should not move more troops from Italy into Libya. f German troops, too, could be transported there to take part in the attack, but there is no news of German forces in. these parts and no news in London of any reinforcements reaching the 250,000 Italian troops throught to be there at the beginning of the war. The British Navy has been very enterprising in this region. * PATROLLING IN SUDAN. ; Patrolling activity is the only operation reported in the Sudan/ The Italians are reported to be bringing up reinforcements possibly preparatory to an advance, but for the moment the weather would prevent anything but moves on a small scale. i The military authorities say that our casualties in the British raid on '<Adardeb were not as. high as the Italians claimed and no Australians were employed. The Italians 'stated that ten Australian soldiers were left dead, but the raid was actually made by British and Sudanese troops. j

It is considered that there -is a possibility that Italian troops and tanks employed in Somaliland may be used against Kenya, but this -would take some time. Above all, the limiting factor in the Italian campaign is supply, and especially of water.