CHANGING FORTUNES

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 10, 13 January 1942, Page 4

CHANGING FORTUNES

A FIELD AMBULANCE

New Zealanders were interested to learn comparatively early in the second Libyan campaign that a large party of wounded men had been rescued from a "pocket" in the battle zone. Particulars of. this rescue are now coming to hand in letters received from some of the men. It appears that the men were captured and cut off when General Rommel's forces broke through the Allied line. "On Friday, November 11, an armoured column of Jerries broke through and took us prisoner," a member of one of the New Zealand Field Ambulances has written home. "Things were a bit tense for a while and bullets were flying in all directions. One came through the operating tent and after glancing off the table it slightly injured a patient who was still under the anaesthetic. The Jerries let us carry on with our work but put big guns all around the little hollow where our dressing station was. IN MIDDLE OF BATTLE. "On Sunday, November 30, an artillery battle began between the Jerries around us and our own troops some distance away and our area became a real inferno with shells bursting all around and many right in our lines. "The Jerries later handed us over to the Italians, and we then had several very trying days with hundreds of wounded on our hands and very little food and water. Quite a number of medical personnel Avere taken away and also sdme walking wounded, but we hope they may be recaptured. "On Saturday, December 6, we woke to find the Italians gone—l think their communications must have been in danger —and we were rescued by our own troops."