Australians Lead Great Assault

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 4, 6 January 1941, Page 5

Australians Lead Great Assault

ferritic Bombardment Precedes Attack United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright. Received Sunday, 6.30 p.m. CAIRO, January 4. A special communique states: ‘ The Bardia operations axe proceeding successfully. Over 5000 prisoners have been taken.” General Sir Archibald Wavell is enthusiastic about the Australians. He told Mr. Spender (Australian War Minister) that they had done a first-class job and were not finished yet. They had taken over 8000 prisoners. The British Associated Press' Libya correspondent says British artillery, bombers and warships were bombarding the beleaguered Italians in Bardia with a withering fire for 24 hours. The Italians were mostly buried in dugouts and trenches, but the barrage was so terrific that their nerves must have been shattered. Italian guns replied but with diminishing force. The cannonading echoed for miles across the desert. The Australians, leading the army attack, charged with bayonets, hurling grenades and blasting field-guns and machinegun nests. Thousands of Italians facing the Australians’ gleaming bayonets threw down their arms and surrendered. An R.A.F. communique states: ‘‘Supporting the army attack on Bardia, our bomber planes continued their raids throughout the night of January 2-3, also yesterday. Dive attacks were made on the town and many tons of bombs were released, extensive damage being caused. Our planes also heavily raided Tobruk and El Oazala. ‘‘Our fighters maintained a constant patrol. One intercepted five 79‘s twenty miles from Rasuenna, shot down three and damaged others. One of our bombers has not returned. ‘‘During the attack on Tobruk bombs fell on military buildings, causing a number of large fires followed by explosions. One Italian seaplane was shot down into the sea in flames by our bombers. “At Jlartuba during two attacks on the landing grounds three enemy aircraft were destroyed on the ground by direct hits.” “The Australian troops have been waiting for this moment, declared the Australian Minister of the Army (Mr. Spender), who is now in Egypt. “Knowing the men as I do, I expected that once they were given the opportunity they would sweep through to victory. What has been accomplished is, in my opinion, but the forerunner of coming events. Bardia will assuredly fall, and bit by bit Italian resistance in Africa will be smashed. The time for Italy’s collapse will not be long postponed. ’ ’ The Daily Mail’s special correspondent, in a message from Cairo describing the Australian break through at Bardia, says: “The artillery barrage at dawn paved the way With a curtain of shells from concealed batteries all round the town. Then the Australians advanced for their first major engagement in this war. They stormed the outermost defences and smashed their way to engage the garrison at close quarters. A considerable number of defenders have already been taken prisoner. “As a result of earlier reconnaissances the Australians knew the location of the weakest points. The Italians had dug many anti-tank ditches, but the sandstorms of the past month had filled in the ditches at exposed points where the Italians dare not send working parties.” Reuter’s special correspondent at British Headquarters in Egypt says one of the chief secrets of our Bardia preparations has been the exactness of the information about the region’s defences mostly secured by' Australian patrols, who penetrated Bardia’s outer ring of defences a score of times at night-time reporting every detail of the Italian preparations. They entered and measured great tank traps running round the enemy defences and brought back prisoners from whom valuable information was obtained.

CAIRO, January 4.

■ The Times’ Cairo correspondent says for the past fortnight British guns have been pounding every inch of the vast semicircle of defences ringing Bardia from coast to coast, but the Italians knew nothing of the big concentration of our troops in the south-west sector alone. It was from here that the attack was launched which outflanked the defenders of the northern positions, who were almost taken in the rear. This doubtless explains why so many prisoners have already been captured. A Rome official communique states: “The British unleashed new attacks involving air, sea and land forces in the Bardia sector, resulting in a big battle beirfg under way. The Italian forces in the Bardia sector, commanded by General Bergonzoli, are resisting fiercely, while Italian aviation is co-operating, unceasingly bombing and machine-gunning British naval units, bases, troops, mechanised units and material.’’