ADVANCE IN CYRENAICA

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 6 February 1941, Page 5

ADVANCE IN CYRENAICA

Capture of El Gubba Assumed PRESSING ON IN ERITREA fUnited Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) (Received 6th February, 9.45 a.m.) LONDON, sth February. General Wavell’s forward troops in Cyrenaica are pushing on beyond Cirene, which was Marshal Graziani’s headquarters for the conquest of Egypt and which is officially reported to have been captured. Infantry with machine-guns are assumed to have taken El Gubba, the last fortified town on the coastal route to Benghazi. El Gubba straddles the 50-mile main road from Derna to Cirene. Cirene is 1 800 feet above sea-level and beyond Appollonia, which was presumably cut off. The Italians are apparently withdrawing en masse along the parallel road from Cirene to Brace. After fighting their way from Derna under the Italian artillery fire, the British forces climbed the hillsides inland to the enemy’s level and resumed the forward drive. The troops marched on foot with the artillery and stores, in the rear. Hardly a shot was fired between there and El Gubba. The Italians preferred to rely on landmines and booby traps, dynamiting roads and blowing up bridges. In west Abyssinia the British forces pushing on toward Gondar are now over 30 miles from the Sudanese frontier in spite of determined obstructive tactics by the Italians. PRESSING TIRED ENEM'V The British in Eritrea are five miles west of Keren, gathering as they press on great batches of prisoners and also masses of guns, lorries and ammunition which the Italians have jettisoned. The British guns are harassing the tired Italian troops with tremendous barrages. Already the Italian rearguard has been halved and has lost 70 per cent, of its material. The captors of Barentu took prisoner 1500 of them and killed 500 and captured a large quantity of guns, ammunition and stores. ' General Wavell recently visited the Eritrean battlefront and watched a phase of the battle at Barentu. [Later news of the advances in North and East Africa, given in a BBC bulletin late last night, stated that Royal Air Force planes, which are active ahead of the British advance toward Benghazi, report that the Italians are retreating from Barce along the road to Benghazi. In Eritrea the British advance has now taken them 150 miles from the Sudanese frontier to the outskirts of Keren, which is said to lack strong defences and is strategically unsuitable to withstand an attack. In Italian Somaliland British patrols are now established 60 miles inside enemy territory.!