N. ZEALANDERS IN EGYPT

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 July 1942, Page 6

N. ZEALANDERS IN EGYPT

STORIES OF THE FIGHTING

STRUGGLE AGAINST ODDS.

[Official War Correspondent, N.Z.E.lf’.]

CAIRO, July 17. The first news of the New Zealanders’ part in' the battle which now rages in the central Alamein sector was brought to Cairo in the early hours of this morning by a New Zealand dispatch rider, who arrived with a story from the New Zealand radio commentator. This is his story: “The New Zealanders have been engaged in one of their largest and most fiercely launched infantry attacks of the war in Egypt. Moving north-west to the central sector of the Alamein area, they fought their way to their objective against heavily armed and greatly superior enemy forces. During' the day and in the afternoon, our artillery went into action. The evening was comparatively quiet and by 9 o’clock our infantry were in position along, the start line. “ ‘We walked for three hours with bayonets fixed without meeting any serious opposition,’ said one New Zealand infantryman. ‘A flare burst away from us on the left, and then another on the right, but we lay close to the ground unobserved. A third flare floated out above us and the enemy fire was immediately directed on the whole line of advance.’ “It is described as the most intense concentration of automatic and heavy weapon fire yet encountered. The Italians had their guns scientifically laid, but we went at it with machinegun, ‘Tommy’ gun, Bren grun, and bayonet, It was a full scale infantry attack. The enemy put up a sharp resistance. Nothing could stop us, and the gun posts—machine-gun and anti-tank —which were used against our infantry were vigorously attached. Eighty-eight millimetre guns were brought against, us, and bursts of indiscriminate shelling added to the enemy defence. “The New Zealanders pressed on against this powerfully-armed enemy. Except for platoon and company reformation, as each successive point was taken, the fighting was continuous for three solid hours. By that time we had penetrated massed infantry, and heavy weapon opposition to a depth of three .miles. Eight hundred yards is considered the reasonable limit of an infantry night advance against defence forces. but these men were in a most resolute mood. They could not. wait where there was yet an objective ahead. “The elements of one battalion reached a laager of German tanks. The nearest was put out of action by firing a ‘Tommy’ gun down the slits and plastering it with hand grenades. Tanks sculled around and swept away from the path of the New Zealanders in their surprise. Generally the whole line of the advance was on its objective by morning. The swiftness and vigour of the attack had left behind many pockets of enemy resistance, which held out stubbornly during the day. They were subject to heavy attack in consequent redisposittion of forces. As infantry, the New Zealanders achieved their full objective in what must count as one of New Zealand’s greatest and most courageous engagements. That this great infantry advance could not be consolidated is just another example of the uncertainty of desert warfare. But their victory remains and the line of prisoners testifies to it. ATTACK REPULSED WESTERN DESERT, July 15. After a day of comparative quiet, during which the positions on the Ruweisat Ridge were consolidated while artillery pounded the enemy, the New Zealand troops were attacked from the north late this afternoon by lorried infantry. The attacking force experienced trouble manoeuvring in the soft sand, and was repulsed without great difficulty. . The enemy has been moving lorried infantry to the scene of the major operations facing the New Zealand oositions, including part of the much depleted 90th Light Division which was in the south. Only part of this division was able to negotiate the soft p’oine, and to-night some still remained to the south apparently unwilling to face the hazard of the move. Meanwhile the Indians immediately north of the New Zealanders have advanced to form a connected line with our right flank. PRISONERS CAPTURED WESTERN, DESERT, July 16. Under the major of an Auckland battalion 68 New Zealanders during Tuesdaj r night’s attack captured a big bag of prisoners, all Italians. It was an unexpected feat accomplished under remarkable circumstances.

The major and 30 men had become separated in the darkness from the battalion when passing through an enemy tank formation. As day was breaking they found themselves in a small wadi in which was an. enemy stronghold. By this time the New Zealand forces had been built up to 68 men. Although the men were reduced to five rounds of ammunition per rifle it was decided to attack. Their fire was returned and a few casualties were sustained, but a determined bayonet charge settled matters and the enemy surrendered.

A number of officers were included in the capture. They lamented when they saw the size of the force which had overpowered them.

PRESSMEN’S TRIBUTES J [Official War Correspondent, N.Z.E.F.] ( CAIRO, July 17. ' Dispatches reaching Cairo from i world correspondents at the battle front give the highest praise to New , Zealanders for their part in General j Auchinleck’s swift thrust in the cen- • tral sector of the Alamein front. In ( the course of his story to the “Daily ; Express,” Mr Alan Moorehead said: ■ “The New Zealanders by common : consent are among the finest fighting men in the Middle East. Their anti- . tank gunners did not budge. When : one gunlayer died the man who . shoved the shell into place took his job. After two years of knowing some of these New Zealand gunners, I find it an intense grief to say that they are dead.” Mr A. G. Clifford, of the “Daily Mail,” wrote that the New Zealanders fought with stupendous gallantry. The “Daily Telegraph” correspondent (Mr R. Legge), in his message, said the New Zealanders took part in one of the most heroic episodes in the history of British arms. “It is a tragic episode but a glorious one, and writes the names of the New Zealanders as indelibly among the indomitabies of this war as those who withstood the

first siege of Tobruk and the siege of Sebastopol," says Mr Legge. “I refer to the group of New Zealand gunners who died at their posts in an effort to stem the initial stages of Rommel’s counter-attack.” Mr J. H. Leesing, war correspondent of the South African Press Association, wrote: “The New Zealander

is an unassuming soldier who has done very well at every job given to i him in this war. He has been in half-a-dozen major battles, has suffered many scars, yet when things are going badly in the present campaign he has immediately responded to the call for aid. It was a shock to Rommel suddenly to find himself up against a force the bravery and skill of whose soldiers are unsurpassed in the world. They came unheralded and immediately set to the task and lashed out in full fury at the enemy. ’Once again they suffered casualties, but that has ever urged on the New

Zealanders to throw in an even greater effort. They never want publicity. All they are concerned about is to do the jolo allotted to them, no matter how difficult it may• be or what sacrifices may be entailed. That is why the New Zealander has won the admiration of the whole world — and not least his enemies.”

LONDON, July 19. The New Zealand Brigadier who was captured twice in' one day m the recent Ruweisat fighting, but eventually escaped, was the All Black hooker who toured South Africa m 1928. AIRMEN’S RECORD WESTERN DESERT, July 15. When the nineteenth aeroplane rolled to a stop at a desert , aerodrome this afternoon, an intelligence officer of a South African bomber squadron wrote in his log-book: “Squadron completed thousandth sortie since the battle of Egypt began, without loss of a single aircraft. 'Three air-gunners jumped out, jammed New Zealand felt hats on their heads, and walked over for a bottle of beer. Three New Zealanders—Sergeants Albert Garforth, Wanganui; Cliff Gilbertson, Palmerston North, and Mick Hopkins. Greymouth—joined the squadron a few weeks ago. . They have been on thirty sorties since. “We have no hard work,” said Garforth. “The fighters have done all the work for us, but the few hundred tons of bombs we dropped bowled over a few enemy trucks and tanks. After one raid we counted eightythree fires. All the work has been in close support of the Army. The raid we have just done was supporting the on the coast.” The kiwi hats? it was explained by Hopkins, were a souvenir from a visit to Maadi. “We never fly without them stuck somewhere in the cockpit. Keep that beer bottle, we will drop it tomorrow. Boy, do they scream like a bomb when we push them out!”

CONGRATULATIONS WESTERN” DESERT, July 15. “Congratulations on the Matruh bag. That ship was very important,” read a message received by an R.A.F. bomber squadron from Air ViceMarshal Sir Arthur Coningham, Air Officer Commanding, Western Desert. The leader of the flight of eight bombers in the smashing attack on Matruh last week was Squadron Leader Lloyd Joll, of Dunedin, who has now had three years’ service with the R.A.F. in the Middle East. He has led a number of bombing attacks since the battle began, including a close suppoprt raid against Germans attacking the New Zealanders. Three other New Zealanders serving in the same squadron are Flight Sergeant-Pilot Les Baker, Wanganui, Sergeants-Observers Fred Hazel, Wellington, and Frank Menzies, Westport. They have taken part in a series of low-level attacks against ships, transpoprt, tanks, and aerodromes, many without an escort. The sergeants wear the New Zealand Army badge on their caps.

PRISONERS OF WAR

WELLINGTON, July 19

Although there are some exceptions the Prisoners of War Inquiry Office Headquarters in Wellington has been advised that it is not the custom of the Italian authorities to give numbers to men who are prisoners of war. Next-of-kin are therefore informed that they should not hold up any parcels or correspondence simply because they are anticipating a number. The Inquiry Office particularly desires that provincial offices should be given any recent information of parcels being acknowledged by relations either of men in Italy or on the Continent generally. There are still 500 New Zealanders the permanent addresses of whom the office has notyet received. Information has been supplied to the Inquiry Office of nersonal parcels having been received at Stalag 88. 18D, 18A, 18D, 9C, 5B; PG7B (Italy): Stalag Luft 1, and Ollag 08. The total number of prisoners is reported as 6182 official and 15 unofficial. FORESTRY UNIT IN BRITAIN. LONDON, July 17. The Duke of Kent spent an hour and three-quarters in the company of a New Zealand Forestry Unit. He watched the men working in a sawmill and walked out into the woods where he- saw New Zealanders cutting down trees and hauling logs. He told the commanding officer, Lieu-tenant-Colonel J. G. Elliot, of Haweraf and the company commander, Major D. V. Thomas, of Wairoa, that he was impressed with the importance of the work, especially the saving in shipping space. The Duke of Kent commented on the differences between the axe the New Zealanders are using and that in general use in Britain. He was interested to learn that the New Zealanders’ axe weighed 4.‘,1b compared with the English 71. The Duke ehutted with several men, including individual workers.