TRIALS OF DESERT WAR

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 28 October 1941, Page 3

TRIALS OF DESERT WAR

GERMAN SOLDIER WRITES AUG’HINLECK ADDS COMMENT Cairo, Sept. 24. The following message from General Sir Claude J. E. Auchinleck, British Commander-in-Chief in the Middle East, for troops in the Middle East, was written for publication in the troops’ official magazine, issued at Cairo: The German illustrated paper “Signal” of Ist September, 1941, contains an account of action fought in midJune last around Solium and Capuzzo. The account, on page 2, consists of extracts from the Tagbuch eines Deutschen Halfaya Kamphers—that is. the dfary of a German Halfaya exhero. I think these are worth studying, and I have added my comments (which appear within quotation marks) to each extract. The diary: The last golden glow of the setting sun lades. I have just ; finished my round of the advanced posts. Everything is in order. Although they have to sacrifice all comforts and pleasures, the lads are in 1 good spirits. They are German outposts in Africa and they know it and ■ are proud of it. “These fellows are good soldiers; they know their job and mean to do it.” The diary: At last the oppressive heat abates. We now get some respite from the flies, which nearly eat us alive. It is hopeless arguing. They ’ are unwelcome guests. We sent about 150 of them into the hereafter out of one tent alone. Then we gave it up. . “We are not the only ones to suffer discomfort. The Huns are probably ’ worse off in this respect than we are, as we know more about looking after ourselves in these out-of-the-way countries than they do. All the same we must keep up to the mark in all these things which affect our health and comfort so we shall be fighting-fit i when the time comes.” The diary, 16th June: No sleep all night; fiendish heat. The Tommies j seem to have encircled our position, j Our supply column did not arrive today. Have the British nabbed it? It is just as well; we have enough “squibs” to keep us going a long time. “When we are feeling thirsty and hungry and tired—in fact, all in—we should remember that the other fellow is just as bad if not worse. The one who sticks it longest wins.” The diary—a wireless message from corps: “Hold on.” We promise old | Rommel we will do that, all right. We would have held on even without the message, to the last man. Even if the British took the position (but it’s not theirs yet) they would not take a single German soldier alive. “As 1 have said before, these chaps have guts and know their job. We have guts, too, and we must know our job even better. As for taking them alive, we do get a German soldier now and again. We want a lot more of them. I hope you will get them for us.” i The diary—l7th June: The almost im- 1 possible has become a fact: The Eng- i lish, 'Australians, Indians and New 1 Zealanders have no teeth left to bite ] with. They bit hard, but Halfaya was j too tough a morsel. We have won a ] mouthful of warm water. God, that 1 treat! And then down we flop to sleep, 1 but only for an hour. “The point i about this was: ‘Hour’s sleep to-night.” ■ During the last three days we have I forgotten how. < The diary—l9th June: Last night I fell i asleep over iny diary. Sleep has ' 1 worked wonders. I feel like a new ; man. New supplies of ammunition < have come in. Although we were not i completely sold out, it strengthens our 1 feeling of superiority when we see 1 ■ " ( ;

hose huge piles of ammo. “You see le is still wondering how the Germans nanaged to stand up to our attack. He alks about the magnitude of the British defeat. That is natural, ever hough it was not a defeat. He is iretty short on sleep and obviously las had a bad time. If he had beer :ept with no sleep a little longer, he night have cracked. Remember this vhen you are feeling all in—anothei iour or two may make all the differ:nce as to who cracks first. His renarks about ammo are interesting too. Ve have the bulge over them as far is our supply ararngemonts are con:erned. If we can go on long enough o run them out of ammo they are >eat." The diary: Eating and sleeping hac teeome things of the past. We were hoking with thirst—but we finally orgot about drinking too. No one alked. Silently and deliberately we lid what had to be done. “They are ough and worth beating, these Gernans.” “He concludes”: The diary: Since the letters that 1 vrote last week are still in my pocket ; open them again and add a few vords: Everything fine. Am fit and veil. I’m glad I was there when the British were given the thrashing they leserved at Solium. "1 hope we’ll lave him under the sand or in the bag >efore long.”