BARDIA ATTACK

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23860, 10 January 1941, Page 7

BARDIA ATTACK

AUSTRALIAN COURAGE PROBLEM of prisoners "LIBYA'S PRINCIPAL EXPORT" By- Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright, LONDON, Jan. s An Australian war correspondent, describing the Australian attack on Bardia, says a Victorian brigadier said to him at the end of the first day "Two of my battalions had among their prisoners representatives of four enemy regiments, which meant, that they had fought and broken up 12 battalions. They had to tight platoon and company tactics without artillery support. ""When it is considered that on the outer defences of Bardia alone there "ere 80 huge concrete blockhouses, it is possible to gather some idea of the magnitude of the task." The correspondent adds: "Early Hi is morning I came into Bardia town and the first thing I saw was a New South Wales soldier galloping down the main street on a white horse. Behind him came 20 others, mostly riding bareback, with cigars in their mouths, but the clatter el machine-guns at the bottom of a cliff soon ended their pranks. "An enemy post was still there, and a captain and three privates climbed down a steep eiifl and, creeping up, silenced it with grenades. Then up came more prisoners. Everywhere I looked there were long lines of prisoners. "One brigade order to-day read, 'Prisoners must not be brought hack in lots of less than 1000.' The compounds at pre.seut are harbouring tens ol thousands of prisoners." The situation in respect to prisoners is providing General Sir Archibald Waveli and his stall with a problem almost as difficult, to solve as the actual military strategy. Tin? huge number oi prisoners has evoked the gag: "What is Libya's principal export? Answer: Italians." OLD SMRIT LIVES REPLY TO MR. FRASER [BT TELEGRAPH PRKSS"ASSOCIATION] WELLINGTON, Thursday 1 The Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. P. I Eraser, has received from the Prime | Minister of Australia, .Air. R. G. Men- | zies, the following reply to his cable- | gram expressing New Zealand's admira- ' tion of the Australians' achievement at Bardia : "I greatly appreciate your message. We, too, knew that the sous of Anzae would not fail us, and we are proud ! that they have shown the same courageous spirit which distinguished the Australian and New Zealand troops in previous encounters." CONCENTRATION IN KENYA (■Received January !>, 0.15 p.m.) NEW YORK, Jan. S Passengers from Africa by the liuer City oi New York report that 100,000 British troops are on the border ot Kenya and Abyssinia waiting for the end of the rainy season. EXPLOSIVE SHORTAGE PROBLEMS FOR ENEMY ITALY'S RELIANCE ON GERMANS (Received January 0, 6 p.m.) British Wireless LONDON, Jan. 8 There is evidence that the British blockade is creating problems in supplies of explosives in enemy countries. In the momths immediately preceding Italy's entry into the war it imported all the toluol it could get. These imports have not proved sufficient for Italy's needs and it has been using some high explosive made from home produced materials. It appears that this has not proved satisfactory. It is known that Italy's need ol T.N.T is extremely urgent, and it has been reported that workmen have been thrown out of employment in Italy owing to shortage of the necessary war materials. After only five months of not very active warfare and before the Italian attack on Greece or the largescale operations in the Western Desert Jtalv made urgent appeals to Germanv for T.N.T. Germany has supplied considerable quantities of high explosives to Italy, but has been finding the demands of its Axis partner distinctly embarrassing. lor it itseli is ieeling some .shortage' of high explosive. FEWER UNEMPLOYED STILL 700,000 IN BRITAIN British Wireless LONDON, Jan. s , I lie total number of registered unemployed on December 9, HMO, was j■' 715,279, the lowest recorded since 1921. I