PATROL CLASHES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 194, 18 July 1941, Page 5

PATROL CLASHES

OPERATIONS IN LIBYA.

ENEMY LOSSES

(United Press Association—Copyright.) (Rec. 10 a.m.) RUGBY, July IT. A General Headquarters, Cairo, communique says that at Tobruk, on the night of July 15-16, an Australian fighting patrol penetrated GOO yards into enemy positions and successfully assaulted two strong points.

After inflicting on the enemy casualties substantially greater than the strength of the patrol itself, our troops withdrew.

By dash and determination the patrol again surprised and outmanoeuvred the enemy locally in greatly superior numbers and well-entrenched positions.

In the frontier area patrols from our armoured forces, admirably suppi rted by mobile artillery, have been active inflicting casualties upon the enemy in personnel and material. In Abyssinia our pressure is increasing upon the enemy forces holding Wolehefit Pass, north of Gondar. During a local advance on July 15 our troops gained an important position and dispersed "a counter-attack with loss to the enemy.—Official Wireless.

TROUNCED BY FIGHTERS

DIVE-BOMBERS DESTROYED

LONDON, July 17. The Associated Press correspondent with the R.A.F. in the Western Desert says R.A.E. fighters intercepted German dive-bombers attempting to attack supply ships en route to Tobruk, sending them into the sea with the same dizzy speed as their bombs. Tho ships' crews cheered as six Junkers and one Messersclunitt, trailing streams of smoke and flame, crashed into tho Mediterranean.

A pilot said: "Junkers seemed to be burning all over the sea. It really was a lovely party." A South African Tomahawk squadron first sighted 3 5 divo-bombors flying in tight formation, escorted by a big formation of jNlessersebmitts. Hurricanes joined in the fray as the Junkers were diving to release their bombs. After a running fight of over te.ii miles from Tobruk only nine Junkers remained.

A British Official Wireless report says that now the campaign against the Italians in East Africa has virtually been brought to a successful elceo it is possible to reveal details of the numbers of troops engaged and of the total prisoners captured. When Italy entered the war it was computed that sho had 325,000 men (125.000 white and 200,000 African troops), in her East African colonies. At the same time the British forces on all fronts in East Africa totalled less than 25.000, of which 5000 only were white. These, of course, were later reinforced. Of tho Italian forces nearly 100,000 of the 125,000 Italians are our prisoners, 6000 are still at large, and the rest arc dead. Of the 200.000 native troops, some 60.000 are prisoners. The rest deserted and many are now fighting with tho Abyssinian patriots. In equipment we have captured nearly 800 guns, thousands of machine-guns, 150 tanks and thousands of motor vehicles.