ADVANCE IN LIBYA

Grey River Argus, 5 February 1941, Page 5

ADVANCE IN LIBYA

Enemy Resistance A REARGUARD ACTION. LONDON, February 3. In Libya there has been a temporary pause in the thrust towards Benghazi. The British are over halfway to Benghazi from the Egyptian frontier. British artillery is now busy driving the Italians from one position to another, says the British United Press correspondent with the Army of the Nile, The rocky peaks | along the road provide natural sites i for defence, but our gunnery is more consistent and more accurate. I and is undoubtedly taking toll of the | defenders. The , correspondent adds: Everywhere the Britishers penetrate, they find the natives freed from the Fascist grip crying. “Long live liberty!” “Welcome to the British!” The country round Derna is full of wadis (gullies), in which whole battalions can hide, and reconnaissance is difficult. In this work th? Royal Air Force is co-operating with the army, and the roar of Hurricanes and Lysander reconnaissance n achines is never absent. The British troops in Libya are no longer in sandy desert, but in hilly country which can conceal whole battalion? of the enemy. The British. however. are ceaselessly preparing to carry the drive further west. I A wandering Arab, who escaped from the Italians, declared that the Italian artillery is holding the peaks, to enable the infantry to escape. A R.A.F. Middle East communique states: Activity by R.A.F. fighters and bombers continued in L’bya on Sunday, particularly on the roads between Derna and Benghazi. At Slonta, 25 miles south-west of Appolonia, troops and lorries were ma-chine-gunned. Thirteen lorries were destroyed, and heavy, casualties were inflicted among the troops. Other machine-gun and bombing attacks were made on motor transport at Maraua, and on the road between there and Gubba. At Appo'onia fighters attacked the aerodrome, and destroyed three Qhiblis and a CA3IO. They also machine-gunned transpor'. and troops, causing many casualties. At Cipene, 10 miles south-west of Appolonia, a CR42 was shot down by our fighters.

CAPTURE OF DERNA. LONDON, February 3. An Italian civilian who remained hidden in Derna, preferring to be taken prisoner rather than lo retreat with the Italian forces said that the civilian population had been systematically evacuated some time ago. In the last few weeks there had been a shortage of food. Buildings in Derna were hardly damaged, and there was a plentiful' water supply. Derna also had u good aerodrome on an escarpment abovey the town. The aerodrome was captured only after furious fighting. Australian troops took the protecting forts, but were heavily counter-attack?d. They held on, however, inflicting severe losses on the enemy. After a five days’ furious arti’lery duel. th e British troops marched into the town, and found that the Italianhad withdrawn.

RAID ON SARDINIA. BY BRITISH NAVAL PLANES. RUGBY, February 3. An Admiralty communique states: On the morning of February 2, naval Swordfish aircraft, .carried out a successful attack on one of the mam sources of the power supply In Sardinia. One of our aircraft is mitring from this operation. LONDON. February 3. An Italian communique reports: Enemy planes from the west flew over Sardinia, dropping bombs and two torpedoes on the dam in the River Tirso, without effect. Other bombs fell in the fields. ITALIAN PRISONERS. BOMBED ON TRANSPORT. RUGBY, February 3 An Admiralty communique sta'.es: “It has been reported from tne Mediterranean that a large number of Italian prisoners lost their lives as the result of an attack' from the Libya coast, by two enemy aircraft, believed to be German, on a sir transporting prisoners of war. “The ship was hit and sustained some damage. A large number of casualties wer e caused among the Italian prisoners, many of which were fata!.” N.Z. TROOPS IN EGYPT TRAIN IN DESERT. (From Official Correspondent with N.Z.E.F. in Egypt). CAIRO, February 3. Training in res’j-tance to divebombing and tank attacks, and n.ght operations, were features of the fur ther realistic battle exercises just completed by a full infantry brigade In a day’s march ot 17 miles across rough resert country, three battalions were subjected to mock attacks by low-flying ' R.A.F. machines, putting their knowledge of defensive measures to the Lest. Next day. they marched a further eight mih s s. to a point whence they effected the night capture of a supposed fort, which two battalions took. _ after carrying al! their fighting equipment and dragging anti-tank guns by hand across a w’de stretch of desert. The third battalion fought its way along an imaginary coastline, through an intercepting enemy force consisting of light tanks and Bren carriers of a cavalry regiment. Guntinuallv harrassed by the “enemy,’ the brigade marched home by nigh!