Victorious N.Z.E.F. Returns From Tripoli

Northern Advocate, 30 June 1943, Page 2

Victorious N.Z.E.F. Returns From Tripoli

(Official N.Z.E.F. News Service.) CAIRO, June 26 The story of the New Zealand Divisions return from Tunisia has now been released. The journey back to Egypt commenced on May' 15, a few days after the enemy’s surrender, and comparatively few New Zealanders were able to visit Tunis. More than 3000 vehicles were divided into five groups for the journey, three groups starting on May 15 and the others on May 11. In the early stages of the journey the men had a last look at the countryside over which they fought the penultimate battles. The battlegrounds were already resuming their freshness under the 'hot sun. although much which had been green during the advance was turning brown. A day was spent at Suani cn maintenance of vehicles and patriotic parcels and cigarettes were distributed, also one bottle of beer to every man. Mobile canteen units travelled with the column and the Kiwi concert party provided entertainment in the evenings.

Seme of the journey from Tripoli was new to the New Zealanders, as they had not been on the coast road before, their advance being made in wide desert sweeps. Benghazi was reached on May 23 and there another day was spent in maintenance. Cultivated lands and neat, white colonial houses proved a welcome change from the desert.

After winding their way up the steep escarpment, long columns reached the pleasant Barce plain, scene of much Italian industry but now farmed by natives who were seen operating tractors, ploughs and harrows. Houses still carried the neatly signwritten “Duce” on every wall, also “Duce Vicemo” (Duce will win) and, in German, “Wir Kommen Wieder” (we come again) and other boasts. Travelling Through History The heavily laden trucks dropped down to the pleasant town' of Derna, then laboured back to the escarpment, • passing at the fop of a bomb-scarred aerodrome, its edges still littered with derelict enemy planes. Tobruk was reached on May 26, and the New Zealanders passed close to the harbour dotted with sunken shipiping, but the town, at a distance, 'looked more or less intact. Seen closely it was nothing more than a shell. At Eardia there were men who looked again at the place where they had been prisoners. On May 28 Mersa Matruh was reached and later weatherworn dug-cuts and trenches, once occupied by these men, were seen re-, duced to unsightly heaps of burst! sandbags and caved-in roofs. I

El Alamein, a place of bitter memories, they found to be nothing much more than minefields and a cemetery. On the last day of May the first troops reached the base camp, 17 days after leaving Enfidaville. Their entry was unspectacular. The band played near the camp entrance and shouts cf “see you later,” were exchanged with soldiers on the roadside.