70-MILE ADVANCE

Grey River Argus, 20 January 1943, Page 5

70-MILE ADVANCE

BY EIGHTH ARMY In Three Days [Aust. & N.Z. Cable Assn.] LONDON, Jan. 18. The British Eighth Army in Tripolitania had bv Sunday advanced 70 miles from Buerat, including 30 miles on Sunday, following two previous days’ progress. The movement is a wide flanking one. Sunday was marked by intermittent fighting, although it. never developed into major engagements or tank battles. The greatest opposition came from shelling and machine-gunning and the exploding of land mines which had to be cleared up after the enemy abarn doned the strongly-defended Wadi Soffe°in. Here contact occurred with slight casualties, and a number of prisoners were taken. By night the enemy was withdrawing on a front of 60 to’7o miles in a north-west direction pursued by the British. The front line now roughtly extends from the coast south of Tauorga to Birdufan and Biruwid, where the going is extremely rough. Infantry is pushing on and consolidating behind the armoured forces. The advance continues to the north and west. Fighting went on in all sectors, including the coastal sector, with heavier figfhting in the rougher going in the centre. The British communique at Cairo on Mondoy stated: On Sunday,’ having occupied the Sedada and Bir Tala area, the British forces followed up retreating enemy to th? north-west. By the evening they were in contact with enemy in 'the area including- Beni Ulid, about 80 miles northwest of Buerat. More prisoners have been taken.