SUCCESSFUL COUP

Grey River Argus, 19 March 1941, Page 5

SUCCESSFUL COUP

In British Somaliland [British Official .Wireless] RUGBY, March 17. After eight months of Italian occupation, Berbera, the capital of British Somaliland, is again in British hands. It was recaptured yesterday after British troops had made a successful landing, in co-operation with units of the Royal Navy.”_ Landing troops were convoyed by warships. Machine-gun and artillery fire was encountered from the shore, but was quickly overcome by the fire from the British ships. One hundred prisoners have already been taken, and more are coming in. The British casualties are negligible Information from Cairo is to the effect that the Italians in Somaliland did not expect that the British would attack until after the rains. The suddenness and, efficiency of the British attack was the main reason for its smashing success. The Italians also attached too much importance to the natural defence offered by the Juba River, which thej/considered insurmountable. They are amazed by the efficiency of the British motor transport, which leaves them gaping, and the quality of which .makes them envious. The morale of the Italian Askari troops is said to be low. This arises from the fact that they have had no pay, poor food, and bad equipment Bad feeling is also reported between Italian Royalists and Fascists. The only Italian bomber to fly over Nairobi', states the Air Ministry News Service, did so the other day, piloted by a South African Air Force pilot.; As the aircraft, a Caproni 133. circled the town, the Italian marking, a white cross on the tan, was easily discernible, but no air-raid warning was sounded, for on the fuselage and wings were roundells bearing the colours of the S.A.A.F.

The Caproni, a three-engined monoplane, had been flown 650 miles from Mogadishu, where it was left by the Italians, in process of overhaul, when they made their hurried departure. “The engines,” said one of the crew, “had apparently just been put back, as they were down. Other * parts, which had been taken off the aircraft for inspection, were found near at hand. It was clear that the Italians had downed tools suddenly, and fled. We walked in, and completed the overhaul ” A mechanic with ten years’ experience described the Caproni’s superstructure as primitive. He added that, although the general performance of the aircraft was not good, it was particularly steady in the air. The Caproni was flown to Nairobi by a lieutenant-colonel of the S.A. A.F., who was awarded the D.F.C. some months ago. In Abyssinia LONDON, March 17. A Cairo communique states: “The general advance of the Imperial and Patriotic forces continues on all sectors of Abyssinia. Belgians sent across from the Congo are now figthing with the Imperial forces in Africa. This was disclosed in a communique from British Headquarters in Cairo, which said that in the operations leading to the capture of Asosa in Western Abyssinia, Belgian troops fought side by side with the British. The Allied armies in Africa thus include Free French, Poles. Czechs, Abyssinians, and Belgians. It is now reported that in a very successful attack on the Diredawa aerodrome on March 15, in which the enemy lost eight aircraft, two British aircraft did not return. The pilot of one, however, is safe. From all the other operations, the British aircraft returned safely with the exception of one bomber.” MOVES TOWARDS ADDIS ABABA (Received March 18, 7.15 p.m.) . LONDON. March 17. With the capture of Berbera, British imperial troops are steadily closing on Addis Ababa from thirteen points. Troops from Berbera are moving towards Jigjiga from the east, and South Africans are attacking from the south.

ERITREAN CAMPAIGN

Keren Operations LONDON, March 17. A Cairo headquarters communique states: “British and Indian troops in Eritrea captured an important heights position covering Keren. Some of the difficulties in the Keren sector have been described by the British Broadcasting Corporation’s observer in the Middle East (Mr Richard Dimbleby). He states that tough as any given to any troops in the task given to the British is as history. The advance on Keren is along a dusty road from Kassala. About three miles before reaching Keren it climbs into a mountain chain and then enters a gorge. A chain of high peaks occupied by the Italians dominates the road. These peaks have to be taken before the Italians can be dislodged from the town. The Royal Air Force reports:— “Very heavy attacks were carried out on enemy positions in and around Keren (Eritrea) both yesterday and on the previous day. British aircraft bombed and machine-gunned motor transport and troop concentrations as well as the railway and roads. RADIO PROPAGANDA. AS SEIGE WEAPON. (Received March 19, 12.40 a.m.) LONDON, March 18. The "Dally Mail’s” Khartoum correspondent says: A new weapon is being used by th e British in ; the siege’ of Keren, namely, a powerful broadcasting apparatus, installed at the foot of the mountains. Through six huge megaphones this is issueing ci constant stream of propaganda, which can be heard a mile away. It addressed to the enemy troops, who are clinging to the cliffs. The pro-

comes from a battery of gramophone records. Some have been specially made, including Amharic proclamations by Selassie, and Amharic speeches by trained Abyssinian .orators. > GERMANS IN TANGIER, TAKE OVER OFFICIAL BUILDING. tangier, March 17. The German Consulate' is located in the official residence _ of the Mendoub of Tangier, who is the Sultan of Morocco’s representative. The Mendoub has been ordered to quit the building. LONDON CONCERN (Received March 18, 11.30 p.m.) RUGBY, March 17. A full report from the British representative in Tangier as to the German orders to the Mendoub and the abrogating of all of his functions, is awaited in London. The Mendoub has represented in Tangier the Sultan of Morocco, who is recognised by a convention of 1923 as sovereign of this permanently-neutralised international port. It would appear then, that the Mendoub’s ejection is, in the first instance, a matter primarily concerning the relations between Spain and France as the Power holding the protectorate of Morocco. The incident is to be examined here in relation to the interest between Spain and Britain, which was recently the subject of a statement in the House of Commons, when the Under-Secretary of Foreign Affairs described it as a providential arrangement concerning the British rights and interests in The international zone of Tangier, whicn would be without prejudice to the* rights of the British Government and to the rights of third parties under the relevant international instruments.

SUPPORT FOR BRITAIN. CAIRO, March 18. Replying in the Egyptian Chamber to questions about the talk with Mr Eden, the Premier said they were carried out with complete frankness and understanding. He said: “I told Mr Eden Egypt faithfully supports the democracies, and sincerely intends to help them, and firmly believes in the ultimate triumph of the cause of liberty and civilisation.” Libyan Sector LONDON, March 17. A Cairo headquarters communique states: “In Libya there is no change in the situation. A Royal Air Force Middle East communique states: “In Tripolitania, on the night of March 15-16, a heavy attack was carried out on aerodromes at Castel Benito and Makina. A direct hit was registered on an ammunition dump at Benito aerodrome, .and other fires were started on the south side. At Makina, bombs were dropped among the dispersed aircraft, starting a number of fires which destroyed at. least four enemy aircraft. Others were severely damaged by a bomb. Blast fires were also caused among the buildings, and as the last bomber left, a violent explosion occurred among the dispersed aircraft. Libyan Advance WORK OF NEW ZEALANDERS. ' EGYPT, February 6. Big, snub-nosed diesel lorries, some of them with the word “Wop” and a serial number painted over a Fascist coat-of-arms on the cab, rumbled into the main New Zealand camp one morning this week as part of a' column of dusty truckloads of. dustier men. The convoy brought back more New Zealanders —an army troops company of the Engineers—from “mopping-up” operations in the Western Desert and Libya. ‘The Italian lorries were an infinitely small portion of the magnificent prize, in the form of captured war material, won by the British forces in their drive against the enemy./ Part of the company's work _in the desert was to recover Italian vehicles from the silent, deserted camps in which they lay abandoned, and to put as many of them as possible on the road. Its toted “bag” was approximately 400 —still only a small part of the huge fleets of roadworthy machines which the Italians left behind. To-day scores of them are seen on western roads and tracks again carrying supplies and materials of war, but now in the opposite direction.

Almost every kind of work that a swiftly moving advance might be expected to leave in its trail fell to these and other engineers detached temporarily from the “main body” of the New Zealand force. They have manned water barges and supply points, worked on whai’ves, carted loads of land mines out of harm’s way. established recovery depots and levelled aerodromes along hundreds of miles of the coastal belt. Two sappers led a nomadic life Libya. They found a mobile home driving a road grader somewhere in in the form of a trailer which the Italians had apparently used for the transportation of horses, and, hitching it to the grader, _ they turned it into combined sleeping, eating and store quarters. They wandered contentedly wherever there were roads to be repaired, and got almost as far as Derna, hot on the heels of the fighting troops.