IN ABYSSINIA

Evening Star, Issue 23832, 12 March 1941, Page 8

IN ABYSSINIA

BRITISH ADVANCE CONTINUES OFFENSIVE ON TWO FRONTS PATRIOTS HARASS RETREATING ITALIANS (British Official Wireless.) Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright RUGBY, March 11. (Received March 12, at 11 a.in.) A Cairo communique states: There is nothing of importance to report in Libya and Eritrea. In Abyssinia tho Imperial forces captured the Afodu escarpment, and are now advancing towards Asosa. In their retreat the enemy abandoned four guns with quantities of other equipment, armoured car. Further east the patriot forces captured the town of Dain'bacha, and are continuing their pursuit of an Italian column retreating towards Debra Marcos. In Italian Somaliland our advance into Abyssinia is developing satisfactorily. Many hundreds of prisoners were taken, including a brigade commander and the resident commissioner and their staffs. In Italian East Africa bombers of the South African Air Force heavily raided Harar on March 8. Several direct hits were registered on the barracks and other larger military buildings. Further north workshops on the Deoamere road, near Teclesan, and the railway near Habi Mantel were successfully attacked by R.A.P. bombers. Our aircraft continued to give very active support to the troops closing on Keren. Several enemy gun positions were bombed and machine-gunned. A bridge at Keren, on the Asmara road, was heavily bombed and a large petrol dump destroyed. Our fighters machinegunned and destroyed two enemy grounded bombers. From all these operations our aircraft returned safely. Enemy aircraft attacked Malta yesterday. There were no R.A.F, casual-' ties. Anti-aircraft fire damaged and probably destroyed several enemy fighters. Enemy aircraft approached Port Said, and Ismailia. last night. Some bombs were dropped near the R.A.F. aerodromes. No damage was caused. FOUR MILES FROM KEREN ENEMY TAKEN BY SURPRISE CAIRO, March 10. The next fortnight, it is believed, will show what further progress the British forces will be able to make in Italian East Africa before the rains terminate large-scale military activity until the autumn. The rains have already begun in the extreme south of Abyssinia, but, unless they start unseasonably early elsewhere, will not delay tho British forces for several weeks. Air reconnaissance shows that the Italians are withdrawing into the) mountain fastnesses in the western half of Abyssinia. The two main gateways to the mountains are Jigjiga and Allsta. Meanwhile the Italian forces around Keren are making the strongest resistance the Italians have yet offered on any front. The Allied column adT vancing southward from Kubkub is reported to be four miles from Keren. The Italians regarded the gorge river of Anseba, through. which the road from Kubkub runs, as a first-class natural obstacle. Therefore, they mined and blocked it ip a dozen places. They regarded the heights on either side of the gorge as impassable, and omitted to guard them, hut the Allied forces clambered the rocky slopes and rendered the Italian positions on the road untenable. The Allied forces then forced their way almost to the mouth of the gorge, which debouches into the open country before Keren. ADVANCE ON GONDAR. Apart from tho defence of Keren, the most creditable Italian feat in tho East African campaign is the skilfullyconducted retreat to Gondar. but now that the Italians are under'persistent harrying by the patriot army they are beginning to draw in their forces from tlie outposts in the immediate vicinity of Gondar. The patriots, under the leadership of a member of the British military mission, who for months played a lone hand in this region, have now occupied a post barely 15 miles northward of Gondar. ON SWISS FRONTIER TWO ESCAPEES FROM FRANCE ARRESTED VICHY, March 11. (Received March 12, at 8 a.m.) French Customs officials arrested two men trying to escape across the Swiss frontier. They ordered one to remove a bandage from his leg, revealing banknotes valued at 1,000,000 francs. NAVAL CRAFT EXCHANGE NOT CONSIDERED LIKELY ■WASHINGTON, March 10. The British Ambassador, Lord Halifax, stated to-day that he considered it unlikely that now or in tho future Britain and the United States would trade any naval craft.

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