HEROIC DEFENCE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23996, 20 June 1941, Page 7

HEROIC DEFENCE

TO LAST CARTRIDGE

LOSS OF EL QUNEITRA

TOWN SOON RECAPTURED (Rrrd. 0.10 p.m.) T/OXDOX, .Tunc 10 The British loss arid recapture of El Quneitra provides a tale of heroism ranking high in this or any other campaign. Three or four hundred infantrymen from a famous London regiment, and Free French troops, resisted the attacks of a Vichy force for 48 hours. The Vichy troops, with 15 tanks, six armoured cars, artillery, mortars and machine-guns, launched a closing attack at dawn, encircling the village with two battalions and tanks. Infantry attacked at 8 a.m., but were repulsed. Tanks attacked at 10 a.m., but failed to got through. Ihe Allies maintained their fire and used grenades most effectively, inflicting terrible losses on the enemy. The Vichy force then gave the village a concentrated shelling. The Allied troops fought on until their last cartridge was expended, but at G. 30 p.m. tliey were forced to surrender. 'Hie Vichy force's hold on hi Quneitra, however, lasted exactly two and a-half hours, because Allied reinforcements of infantry and artillery were rushed up at sunset and captured the town heforo dark.

NEED FOR SPEED

DECISION IN SYRIA DARLAN'S DEADLY INTRIGUES LONDON, June 19 Tho Germans are reproaching Darlan, reports the Times' correspondent on tho French frontier, for allowing tho British to forestall tho Axis in Syria, and insisting that American intervention must he prevented at all costs. Meanwhile, substantial quantities of material anfl a number of aeroplanes have been sent to Syria. Darlan is paying lipservice to the instructions of the Council of Ministers that tho Syrian conflict should bo localised, but actually, now General Weygand has departed, Darlan is manoeuvring in exactly tho opposite direction. Well-informed quarters in Vichy fear that unless a decision in Syria is readied within a fortnight Darlan will bo ablo to ensure intervention of the French fleet. The fact that most German aeroplanes, formerly in Sicily, are now massed in Tripolitania, along tho Tunisian frontier, has indicated ono trend of Franco-German discussions. Vichy's opponents in France are not only keenly disappointed, but anxious over the slowness of tho advance in Syria. Moreover, British broadcasts to France seem to suggest that Britain continues to under-estimate the deadly nature of Darlan's intrigues. Friendly Frenchmen insist that a British reverse in Syria will irreparably affect British prestige throughout France.

DARLAN AND BERLIN MILITARY CONVERSATIONS LONDON, Jnno 19 Admiral Darlan has opened further military conversations with Berlin with the object of devising joint FrancoGerman measures to prevent the United States' intervention against French African possessions or tho seizure of Dakar, according to the Times' French frontier correspondent. AID IN MIDDLE EAST SUPPLIES FROM AMERICA CONTROL OF MEDITERRANEAN WASHINGTON, June 17 The despatch to the Middle East of the American lend-lease, representative in London, Mr. Harriman, is believed in Washington to mean that the United States has resolved to support Britain in an all-out struggle to regain complete control of the Mediterranean and North Africa. The representative's task is to facilitate receipt of military equipment for the Allied armies of the Eastern Mediterranean area. Thus the aid that was promised to Yugoslavia and Greece, but ] which failed to reach them because they fell too soon, will still reach tho main battleground, of which these Countries formed a most exposed sector. The sending of this special mission is but another move in a series of developments which dates back to the time when, the Italian forces having virtually been cleared out of East Africa, Mr. Hoosevclt declared tho Bed Sea safe for American ships. The next step was the organisation of a fleet of United States cargo ships to operate on the run to Suez. Twentysix vessels were assigned to the job immediately, on a schedule of five sailings a week for a minimum of 16 weeks. Under that plan SO ship:.- were to be put into the service. How many are now plying around tho Capo or already have landed their cargoes at Sue/, is a military secret, but almost half of the Hi weeks have passed, and it is supposed that at least the first 2(3 shiploads have reached the Empire armies.