ROMMELODRAMA

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 December 1942, Page 5

ROMMELODRAMA

GREAT RUN CONTINUED

LAST ACT STAND ?

LONDON, December 21.

“Marshal Rommel still shows no signs of halting his headlong retreat, although unofficial reports suggest that he is planning some kind of stand at Buerat, where the country is difficult on both sides of the road,” says Reuter’s Cairo correspondent. “The fact that the Allied fighterbombers attacked targets at Buerat for two successive nights supports this suggestion. General Montgomery’s men are keeping close contact, maintaining the remarkable progress of 12 miles a day in spite of the obstacle of mines. Allied troops who have penetrated beyond Es Sultan include New Zealanders. It is not known whether they are some of those who participated in the desert sweep ending across the coastal road at Wadi Matratin, but it appears likely that they were switched westwards, because they were the most forward troops in the field. German transport is still pouring along the Sirte-Buerat road, which is being strafed by Allied bombers, indicating that Rommel does not intend to defend Sirte.” According to the Morocco radio Rommel’s army has already reached the vicinity of Misurata, and certain Units have proceeded even further west. The Axis forces are now drawn out over a distance of at least 160 miles from their rearguards, and along all this distance they are submitted to Allied air attacks. British correspondents state that fighter-bombers are still pounding the fleeing Axis forces along the 103 miles of unprotected coastal road. The Allied forces are smashing enemy transport and not only destroying material, but blocking the road between Buerat and Misurata, which is bordered by salt marshes. Reuter’s special correspondent with the Bth Army, at an aerodrome inside Tripolitania, says: “Never in Libya have R.A.F. and the Allied air forces been so close on the heels of General Montgomery’s forces. Operating from landing grounds in areas over which the pursuing army passed only a lew hours previously, and where sappers are still busy clearing enemy mines. British and American airmen are continually harassing the enemy.”

NEW ZEALANDERS IN CHASE

RUGBY, December 22.

The Eighth Army patrols continue to pursue the enemy, with the New Zealanders again well out in the front, according to a Cairo message. The enemy is still retreating as last as he can. Their reaguard is now just east of Sirte and the vanguard is near Misurata, about 120 miles from Tripoli. There is no indication that Rommel intends to make a stand in the near future.

SAPPERS’ GREAT WORK

(Recd. 2 p.m.) LONDON, December 22. New Zealanders are heading the pursuit of Rommel’s rearguard,. reported retreating west from Sirte, after the usual delaying action, wherein 88 milemetre guns of not very numerous artillery, desultorily shelled the Eighth Army’s light armour, which is continually 'and daringly prodding the Germans. The enemy is utilising the full moon to hasten the retreat, but is lying hidden in the day-time in Wadis. This small delaying action is carried out less to save the fighting units than to giro the sappers time to carry out elaborate mining, resulting in the greatest collection of obstacles in the wake m an army’s retreat in history. “The Times’s” special correspondent with the Eighth Army says: The “delousing” of the minefields is carried out by leapfrogging, which the British sappers are forced to undertake throughout the advance. It has been done so efficiently by mobue sappers that it enables us to keep on Rommel’s heels with unabated momentum, almost after leaving El Alamein. The “dclousing” parties use an electrical device resembling a vacuum carpet-sweepers, possessing headphones. When swept over the ground it emits a constant low note, the pitch rising sharply when in the neighbourhood of metal, which, however, may be only old tin.

ENEMY AERIAL LOSSES RUGBY, December 22. To-day’s Cairo commuriique states: Throughout yesterday, patrols of our advancing forces continued their activity. A successful surprise attack on an enemy landing ground at Hon, 150 miles inland from the Gulf of Sirte, was carried out yesterday by fighters. Of the eleven grounded aircraft seen, seven were totally destroyed and others damaged. Large fires were started in Tunis and Lagouletta when our bombers raided these ports on Sunday night. A single Junkers 88. flying south towards the coast of Tripolitania yesterday, was destroyed by our longrange lighters. Three of our aircraft are missing.

“FATHER CHRISTMAS.” RUGBY, December 22. The Eighth Army’s Father Christmas is Major John Prentice, who is working with the British canteen service to give the Army a Christmas dinner, says the “Mail’s” Cairo . correspondent. “ It is really a. tough proposition this year.” said Major Prentice. “Maybe it will be humanly impossible to deliver turkeys, chickens, and pork to the most advanced troops, who are moving swiftly, but they will get the Christmas dinner as early as possible. I have to distribute 35,0001bs of turkey. 16 000 ducks, geese and chickens, and 30,0001bs of pork, but this good fare does not keep, so it becomes a problem of timing. Thusands of turkeys have gone forward by sea and tram. Other fare, including Christmas puddings and cakes, is streaming by road far into Tripolitania.” The officer commanding a film and photographic unit in the Middle East has returned to England to assemble 40,000 feet of film recording the advance of the Eighth Army from A.amein to Benghazi. VON THOMA’S CAPTOR RUGBY, December 22. The credit for capturing the German General, von Thoma, belongs to Captain Grant Singer, a former .West Country master of foxhoqnds. Singer who is in the Royal Hussars, was killed in action the next day. He had been scouting ahead of the British tanks and wirelessing back targets from his little light-armoured scoutcar to the tanks. He located two tanks, one of which put an armourpiercing shell through the armour of his car, and he went to look for British tanks to engage them. The tank Skinner picked up was commanded by Lieutenant S. B.‘ Ferguson, who said: “Singer jumped on the back of my tank and said he had got a couple of targets for us. Our second shot went home, and the crew jumped from the burning tank into a slit trench. As we got closer, Singer jumped off and collected the crew, among whom was von Thoma, who was slightly wounded in a leg. After he had been captured von Thoma presented Singer with his field glasses, which Singer promised to return after the war.”

IN TUNISIA AERIAL ATTACKS CONTINUED ""LONDON, Dec. 22. Unofficial reports from Tunisia suggest that Allied forward troops are thrusting deep into positions beyond Mejez el Bab, in preparation for the expected battle. Air activity was renewed with an improvement in the weather, and Bizerta was heavily bombed without loss of Allied airCr A%ommunique from Allied Force Headquarters in North Africa states: “Enemy detachments made a raid on our forward positions on the night of December 19-20. The raid was beaten off. In the course of routine patrols over Tunisia yesterday our fighters destroyed an enemy bomber and an enemy fighter without loss.” The chief activity on land at present, according to the Morocco radio, is in the southern part of Tunisia, where French troops have received strong support from the Royal Air Force. Numerous patrols are in close contact with the enemy. Several Axis counter-attacks in the Kaironan area were driven off by French troops. During one week in December American Army bombers dropped 1,000,000 pounds' of bombs on Tunisia, mostly on enemy supply lines. . The continued absence of anything more than minor activity in Tunisia indicates that neither side has yet assembled forces considered sufficient for an offensive. Men, arms and supplies for land and air operations are pouring in from both sides. It is only a matter of time before the first main moves in the battle for the African bridgehead are made. COMMANDO RAIDS LONDON, Dec. 22. The special correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph” from commando headquarters in North Africa, reports a successful raid by a commando unit which for three days disorganised Axis supply lines in Tunisia, penetrating within four miles of Bizerta. A young colonel planned and commanded the raid. Half the unit was drawn from United States task troops. The unit secured temporary mastery of 125 square miles of en-emy-held territory. The mission began at dusk, when the unit embarked at a small port. The men arrived at their destination in a heavy swell. They jumped overboard into deep water. The unit split up into parties acting independently and occupied two road junctions north of Mateur, against heavy opposition at one of them. There they remaified blocking one of the enemy’s main supply lines until they were dislodged by a strong German force. The commandos performed other exploits in their operations, which extended over five days. The Allied command in French North Africa has taken over the Morrocco radio, which henceforth will be a reliable source of news. The Madrid correspondent of the “Daily Mail” says: “Lease-lend arms and equipment for a French African army of at least 300,000 men are ,en route to North Africa from the United States. The first shiploads have already arrived. General Giraud s staff has prepared plans, which Lieuten-ant-General Eisenhower has approved, for an army drawing from French Algerian, Moroccan, and Senegalese regiments, and also from the Foreign Legion.” _______