Churchill Reviews Solium Battle

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 120, 22 May 1941, Page 10

Churchill Reviews Solium Battle

SETBACK TO BERLIN (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, May 20. Speaking in the House of Commons to-day on the Libyan operations, Mr Churchill said: “The second event which has occurred since we were last here”—the first was the capture of the Italian forces at Amba Alagi—“is the well-sus-tained action at Solium. This Is of interest because it was fought exclusively between British and German troops.' It had not, I suppose, been found worth while to maintain Italian troops at the end of such a long and precarious line of communication* "The fighting,” Mr Churchill added, "was severe but not on a very large scale. Several of our motorised brigades, supported by armoured brigades and strong artillery, advanced about 30 miles from the position where they had been deployed for some weeks past, and attacked the enemy, taking Solium, Halfaya Pass and Fort Capuzzo. “The armoured troops had got well round the flank and were very well situated about one o’clock last Saturday, but the Germans launched a resolute counter-attack with about 40 tanks and recaptured Capuzzo. That entailed the withdrawal of the armoured brigade from the advantageous position which it had attained. “The operations therefore were indecisive, but the Germans claim 100 British prisoners. We have 500 Germans in our hands, and the losses in tanks and personnel were certainly as heavy, if not heavier, on their side than on ours. “But,” said Mr Churchill, “this operation must be regarded on the background that, for more than six weeks, the Germans had been proclaiming that they would shortly be at Suez and had been making much credit with the neutral world by spreading statements of this kind. It is therefore satisfactory for us to say that we have retained strong offensive power shd that the fighting is being maintained at any rate on even terms in the advance areas of the approaches to Egypt.”