“Fun” at Tobruk

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 109, 9 May 1941, Page 7

“Fun” at Tobruk

QUEENSLAND SAPPERS TOBRUK, April 19. “What in hell is all this row about?" roared an irate A.I.F. colonel as he came upon tw’o Queensland sappers blazing away with a captured Italian field gun in “No Man’s Land. ’ ’ The artillery activity of the two Queenslanders may have annoyed, temporarily, the colonel. But *it created amusement in the A.I.F. lines and no little annoyance to the enemy. On‘ Monday the two sappers were busily engaged on engineering work near the outer wire entanglements on the eastern sector of the defencs. They were interrupted by German fire. w r hich they tolerated for some time. Then, as the sniping continued, they decided something should be done about it. Setting out in their truck, they found a light Italian field-gun. This they tewed back to their lines. A visit to any enemy artillery dump resulted in the acquisition of 150 rounds. Elementary ! They sighted the gun at the spot , whence the enemy fire had come. This was done by the elementary procedure of peering down the barrel until the gun was aimed in the right direction. One r>f the sappers set out for a nearby mound to act as observer while his comrade fired, the gun. The first few' rounds went wide, but shouted direction from the “observer" soon set that right. It was at this stage that the colonel, justifiably annoyed at the racket, crawled out to the post. But his annoyance turned to interest when the situation was explained to him. So the colonel stayed to lend a hand! He took turns with the sapper to load and fire the gun, and between them they let off 47 rounds before calling it a day. Otherwise, as the official com muniques sometimes tersely say, “the situation is quist."