Assault on Bardia Has Begun

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 2, 3 January 1941, Page 7

Assault on Bardia Has Begun

After Fifteen Days’ Careful Preparation Intense Artillery and Naval Barrage United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright. Received Friday, 1.30 a.m. LONDON, January 2. Reports from several reliable quarters indicate that the Army of the Nile's assault on Bardia has begun after careful preparations extending over 15 days. It is believed British artillery and intense naval preparatory barrage reached their climax on New Year's Day. The Roms radio suggests that the battle has already joined. It adds: "Our troops faced the British artillery fire and aerial bombing- with great courage. We suffered some losses and cannot yet accurately give the battle’s developments. Reports from the front indicate that British raids inside Bardia's outer defences are growing more daring as the artillery tears gape in the barbed-wire. An Italian communique admitted two raids and claimed that they were repelled. In adddition to continuous patrols of the outer defences, the British occupied a position on the coast about 15 miles north-west, completely cutting off the garrison’s land contact with forces to the westward.

The R.A.F. continues to operate on a far greater scale than the communiques reveal, incessantly reconnoitring either spotting for artillery or watching for troop movements.