Hooded Enemy in Tobruk Attacks

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 121, 23 May 1941, Page 10

Hooded Enemy in Tobruk Attacks

FLAME THROWERS TOBRUK, May 3. A platoon’ commander reported this morning that the enemy was employing hooded infantrymen with flamethrowers in an attempt to smoke out members of the A.I.F. from front-line concrete posts, writes the acting Commonwealth official war correspondent. It was reported that three Germans, in long capes and cowls, with heavy • flame-throwers in their hands, came up , to the post. The platoon commander was some distance away from the post, which was unoccupied, but he saw a 50ft sheet of flame darting at the post. This report confirms reports from tank personnel on March 1. They had seen enemy tanks towing flame-throwing apparatus behind them. On at least one suck occasion, the apparatus was set on ,re by our bullets and in turn the appartus set the tank alight. One of the enemy attacks on the night of May 2 was described to-day by a wounded Arncliffe man. “1 was in a listening-post, about 30 yards out from our front wire, when a party of about 50 Jerries crept up on our left flank,” he said. ‘‘My cobber and I were the only two out thdfe, and we immediately opened fire to warn the boys back in Ihe main post. For 10 minutes all hell was let loose. The enemy all seemed to be armed with tommy-guns, and, in the first minute, they swept past out 1 shallow post, one of them sweeping it with a full burst. Feigned Death. “I stopped bullet grazes across thepack of my legs and rolled away, but my cobber dropped him. They all took shelter in a tank ditch behind us to protect themselves from the heavy fire of our chaps farther back in the post. ‘‘Odd Jerries came dodging back in the dust, one of the them taking Shelter right near me. Others dropped along side him and I pretended to be dead. I had bled a lot, so I must have looked the part. ‘‘After awhile things quietened down, and the Jerries near me cleared out. They hadn’t gone far when my cobber let them have it, but his shots drew heavy fire from both flanks. ‘‘l must have passed out, because it was dawn when I came to. We crept back to the post and picked up a German prisoner in a tank-ditch on the* way. They must be in a bad way for water. He went at the water the boys gave him like a wild dog. They brought me in soon after, but the others are rtill in the post. They will neve get t. at crowd.” British Artillery Deadly. It was the Pioneer battalion that thii/ soldier belongs to that brought down a Messerschmitt 110 by small-arms fire iate yesterday. All our troops pay the highest tribute to the British artillery. “You have no idea what it is like out in those front posts to see truckload, aftertruckload of Jerry troops go skyxiigh as the shells life them.” said another wounded man to-day. “They were careering along out of our rang:, and all we could do was curse at them. All of a sudden, there were two bursts near them, and then the battery got the range. Sights like this every now and again make our chaps oui there realise what they are there for. They’ll never get through.” Australian anti-tank troops have been well in the battle for Tobruk. One company of Western Australians took cn a formation of 11 German tanks, and definitely accounted for three medium tanks and one light tank under intense fire. Dusty conditions were again air attack yesterday, but, in all, four raids were made, with next to no damage. One party of raiders dropped 44 heavy bombs, and only inflicted one casualty • Towards dusk, a large party of Messerschmitt 110’s carried out a machinegunning attack on our forward troops, but the men were- too well dug-in. It was in this raid that the Pioneers got one machine, while at least two other machines were brought down by antiaircraft fire.