Australians Success at Tobruk

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 112, 13 May 1941, Page 4

Australians Success at Tobruk

Recapture Positions in Moonlight WRECKAGE OP GERMAN TANKS AND LORRIES United Press Association—By XSlectrte Telegraph—Copyright. Received Monday, 7.30 p.m. LONDON, May 12. Australian infantry at Tobruk in a moonlight counter-attack recaptured several strong-points from the Germans. The counter-attack lasted from midnight until the early hours. The Germans used flame-throwers in an attempt to fight off the advancing infantry. The Australians, despite a hail of machine-gun bullets and shellfire from three directions, succeeded in narrowing the German salient and inflicted heavy casualties. The force holding the salient was previously heavily pounded by artillery which blasted numerous German tanks and lorries, the wreckage of which is strewn over the battlefield. German planes raided Tobruk 667 times between April 9 and 30. Sea Raider’s Nine Victims SYDNEY, May 12. The sinking or capture of nine ships by a German raider iu the Indian Ocean is confirmed by Mr. Charles Jeffries, who has returned to Sydney after having shared weeks of captivity with 193 other seamen from the raider’s victims. His ship, the Commissair Ramel, (10„092 tons) was sunk by the raider on September 20, and three of the men who were prisoners with him in the holds of the Nazi ship died later in a prison camp in Italian SomaliJand. Mr. Jeffries said that the raider was the Hansa liner Atlantis, of about 14,000 tons. She was disguised as a Japanese trader and used a Japanese name.- He confirmed the American report of Alay 1 that the victims of tli« raider were the British-owned ships Scientist, Kcmmendine, City of Bagdad. King City, Athol King, and Benartv, the French ship Commissaire Ramel, the Norwegian motorship Tinnara, and the Yugoslav steamer Durmitor. Air. Jeffries said that, to intimidate their captives, tho crew of the raider lined them on the deck and spattered it with bullets from machine-guns mounted on the bridge. The prisoners lived on gruel made with flour and water, and each man was given onethird of a cup of water twice *a day.