AIR SUPERIORITY

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 49, 27 February 1942, Page 6

AIR SUPERIORITY

The value ot *ir superiority in the action against General Rommel's forces was referred to feelingly by several men who took part in it and who have returned to New Zealand. "It made a tremendous difference to us to know that we had more than Jerry's measure in the air," he said. "He never bothered us with his planes at all, and this had a big effect on morale."

Tobruk corridor, and for the Germans it offered the most effective route in the event of evacuation. Actually, before it was taken, the New Zealanders had to fight the battle for Hill 175, and then take a strongly-defended blockhouse. The assault on ■ Sidi Rezegh took place at 13 p.m., and two hours later the point was in the possession of the New Zealanders. It was at midnight that Colonel Page was wounded. Colonel Page was safely evacuated from Greece earlier in the campaign, and was transferred to troopships that happened to be in Crete at the time. From there he was taken to Port Said, and subsequently was occupied in a defence post on the Suez Canal, because at that time it was anticipated that the Germans were going to launch a parachute attack on the canal. "A BUSY TIME." In the early stages of the battle for Sidi Rezegh he was within a thousand yards of the South African infantry forces when they were attacked by German tanks. "The South Africans were pretty badly knocked about," said Colonel Page. "After that the Germans came at us. We arrived about an hour before they attacked, and they did not count on our being there One of our armoured formations withdrew the Hun tanks to the right flank, where they fought it out, the artillery got busy on our left, and the Huns started attacking us in the front. We had a busy time." Colonel Page's wound by no means put. .a full-stop to his chapter of adventures. For ten days he was irr the main New Zealand dressing station while it was in the hands of the enemy, and it was during that period that Colonel Dittmer and Colonel Kippenberger made their escapes back to their own lines. The Germans took away as prisoners all men who were not badly wounded. Colonels Dittmer and Kippenberger conspired with the medical staff to make out that they were badly wounded, and did not go with the others. Colonel Dittmer escaped in a truck at night with about 30 men and some officers, and Colonel Kippenberger left with more men in a British truck about 10 in the morning. When he was fired on by his own troops he knew he was back where he wanted to be. "The Germans did not interfere with our medical staff or orderlies, but when they handed the hospital over to the Italians things were different," said Colonel Page. "The Italians stole our things without' any compunction." IN SAFE HANDS. The hospital subsequently was retaken by the Imperial troops, and the patients awoke one morning to find their guards gone, and a string of 60 of their own ambulances waiting to take them out. Colonel Clifton, well known in Wellington, took the ambulances to safety. Colonel Page was taken to a casualty clearing station in the desert, and from there an air ambulance flew him 200 miles to base hospital near Mersa Matruh. / Colonel Page mentioned that it was an Auckland battalion that was responsible for the capture of the famous German panzer general MajorGeneral Ravenstein. "Ravenstein was making a personal reconnaissance in I his car one ni'.'b' %- -;