NEW ZEALAND FORCES

Evening Post, Volume CXXXII, Issue 134, 3 December 1941, Page 10

NEW ZEALAND FORCES

OFFICIAL FIGURES TO DATE

When asked today whether he had any information as to New Zealand casualties in the Libyan campaign the Prime Minister (Mr. Fraser) stated that so far he had not yet received full and up-to-date details. He was afraid, however, that with the heavy fighting now focused in the area south of Tobruk, in which the New Zealanders were in the forefront of the battle, it was to be expected that the casualties could not be light. ■ ~ '

The totals officially reported to date were 70 killed, 131 wounded, and 18 missing, but this, of course, could not possibly take fully into account the heavy fighting- in the Sidi Rezegh area in the past few days. It must be realised that it was not the practice of the Army to report casualties unless they were definitely confirmed, and there was likely to be some delay in obtaining full details. \

"As soon as any news is received, good or bad," said Mr. Fraser, "the public can rest assured that there will be no delay in making the facts known. It is only to be expected in the ebb and flow of battle and with the vast distances over which operations are taking place that communications, especially with headquarters, are subject-to constant dislocation."

Referring to the Italian report that Brigadier Miles had been captured, the Prime Minister said thai he 'had no confirmation of this from official sources, but that owing to the nature of the warfare, where there were no denned lines but pockets of enemy all over the area, it was always possible that some senior officers and members of staffs could be captured as had happened in the case of the German general who was taken by New Zealanders in the Tobruk region.