OFFENSIVE IN LIBYA

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 May 1942, Page 5

OFFENSIVE IN LIBYA

EARLY MOVE PREDICTED

(Rec. 10 a.m.) LONDON, May 22. Cairo correspondents believe that a new battle in Libya will flare up before the Summer, with the Allies striking first. They base their speculation on the following facts: Vast quantities of supplies are reaching the Eighth Army depots. There has been increased heavy bombing of Rommel’s bases, and General Smuts has visited the Middle East battle stations. NEW TACTICS PLANNED. (Rec. 11.40 a.m.) LONDON, May 22. British armoured divisions in Libya have been completely reorganised to prevent a repetition of the military mistakes made in the last desert campaign. They are now selfcontained miniature armies, . operating in close co-operation with infantry and artillery. Wrong tactics, last November, in the early stages of the second Libyan campaign, meant that armoured brigades dissipated their strength, with the result that the battlefield was covered with infantry inadequately protected from the enemy armoured forces, and the guns of the Axis forces were able to make two major counter-attacks, which seriously threatened the British forces. The “Herald’s” Cairo correspondent says: All arms will now play an essential complementary part. Tanks will deliver a stunning but not necessarily a knock-out blow. The artillery "will deal with the enemy's anti-tank guns, from a comparatively safe distance. Infantry and sappers will have storming, holding and technical assignments. There will be close co-operation with the R.A.F.

AERIAL ACTIVITY

RUGBY, May 22

An R.A.F. Middle East communique states: Enemy camps in the Tmimi area, were raided by our bombers yesterday. Accompanying fighters shot down one ME 109, near Gazala. Benghazi harbour was attacked on Wednesday night, while on the following night, the enemy landing ground at Martuba was bombed. ~ . Yesterday morning, enemy activnv over Malta was on a reduced scale. One ME 109 was shot down by our fighters. None of' our aircraft is missing.

FIFTY CAPTURE OVER 5,000

RUGBY, May 22

Details of how a strongly-defended Italian fort, and over five thousand men were captured during the Libyan campaign by a platoon of fifty men of the South Nottinghamshire Hussars are now revealed. T. he platoon was sent into the desert at a critical moment in the campaign, with four wooden guns, twenty-one dummy men, and bombs, which exploded with a flash and a cloud of smoke. Contact was made withi the enemy outside Maktila, late in the evening, and dummy guns and men were carefully hidden, where the Italians could not fail to see them, 'while the real guns were concealed a quarter-mile away. Next day, the pretended attack began, and the enemy replied with such vigour that the affair looked like a real ’battle. The« Italian command was deceived and withdrew several miles. The Hussars, with their stage properties followed, and opened fire with real guns. The enemy then hoisted the white flag, and 5,248 surrendered.