NIGHT PATROLS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20859, 11 August 1942, Page 5

NIGHT PATROLS

DESERT ACTIVITY NEW ZEALAND UNITS CLASHES WITH ENEMY (By Telegraph—Press Assn:—Copyright.) (N.Z.E.F. Official War Correspondent.) (9 q.m.) CAIRO* Aug. 9 Night patrols and artillery actior have been the chief activity of New Zealanders in the - central sector of the Alamein front the past week. The later moon has given more scopq for patrols, who are able to-approach much closer to the' cn’emy in the con stant search for information. . Wire stretches along- the > entire- length -oi the New Zealand froht. on the-western tip of the Ruw.eisat Ridge. From holes in the, santly._ shale the New Zealanders' look across the wadis and rolling ridges towards the German positions. Tile' Gormans are busji digging with hand fools, and- poweij eofnpEes'sor-s; britokhig- hard- rdek close to the desert surface. Both sides have (their fronts wired, and between is no-! | man’s-land. | Cantairt Eh B; . Halstead. official ! achivist of the'Second N.Z.E.F., who; (has r stunted .to Cairo'froth IBP front) line, said that the night patrols are! .tongaged-m tite agßa burying dead, seeking information and] raiding ffie’eiteltey, bite the German is wary. . He has been told that the “mad; bushmen from New. Zealand” -wouldj come to Iris'linos’at night with knives l and grenades. Sunlight Causes Mirages When daWn bseSks,. both sides lobshells .at each other, until the sunlight creates . mirage . effects, the targets, becoming blurred images. From 10j am. to 4 p.m. a quiet settles over the front, broken- only by random shelllire with shrapnel bursting overhead.. Towards evening, - vylten, the mirage fades, the targets clarify and the shelling resumes until sunset. It is- hot on the New gforifflph battlefront, toUt" ribt uripleasdritly scr, for the troops are saaspnecFtq .desert-warfare. A cooling bTC'dke usually' brows from the Mediterranean. For te short period the southerly breeze Brought sWarms of mosquitoes f.r<?n> the rainy Sudan. They disappeared to. the- intense relief of all with a oharngp'or 'wind. Swarms of files ttoW ahhoy the troops—flies everywhere, fi-he, troops, say, ‘, lo hell with the shelling. What Übcrut the flies?”. Some, New Zealanders b«>ugh,, mosquito nets from Syria'. Tltey have cut fly-covers for their tapes, tet)d various'ingenious methods , have been invented {o control the pests. The food for the New Zealanders is adequate. They have real bgead. bully beef, biscuits; tilt nodi, stew-, tinned riSMges, and New Zealand..cheese. Freilh tomatoes, lettuce, andUmes are beginning’ to' arrive.; The~ Wider ration is small but adequate, avid is increased occasionally to allow of washing. .The men are remarkably clean arid 1 ' fresh*, and their general .appearance favourably imbrdsPOs all visitors to then area. Night time' is patrol time for the New zedWridetiS. The> Gentignp the nights waiting, for the inevitable New Z£alSn'd patrols, which are- sure to cause trouble somowhorv-along the front. Jerky sends' up flares from sunset to dawn. At the slightest noise, fixed lines- titeirted toft likely approaches open up. German Tractor Driver The enemy sends vehicle recovery parties into no-ma'n's-Tartd. They can be heard by- the- -New:-Zeal cmd—engineers engaged in wiring and nkjbj- - layirtg. Onei-German , tractor driver is now well known to the New Zealanders as “Maxte/’.The New Zealand engineers can hear the Germans m no"-man’s-land calling softly, Ma-J I®' 1 ®' Maxie.” Along'toSrites Maxie With, a spluttering tractor. It would not pay the New Zealanders to fire on for it might draw-fir-e upcm- the’m'celvPs and interfere with their own ‘work. Anyway, the New are blowing up abandoned Gifripao ■ vehicles and Maxie is finding work to do. In one of the most forward positions is “Igri Gully.” (“Hurry up is the New Zealanders’ translation of the Egyptian word “igri”). It is a long wadi stretching from the New Zealand to the German lines The New Zealand end is dominated by a 'German field gun known by the New ■Zealanders as “Whispering Willy. Already it, has done damage to vehicles and caused casualties. Neai ithe entrance to Igri Gully the other day stood a. Kiwi tois Withffi .“Beware of ‘Whispering WiHy. wtehm 120 yards of this spot you are liable, to receive his attention. . A list attached to the notice gives thq casualties caused by “Whispering Willy.” , \ , Constant attentions by. Stukas have caused another wadi to be caliea “Bomb Alley.” Everx rfioriimg and every evening “Borhb Alley isheavily bbfhbdd. . .