RELIEF OF TOBRUK

New Zealand Herald, Volume 78, Issue 24136, 1 December 1941, Page 6

RELIEF OF TOBRUK

NEW ZEALANDERS' PART HIGHLANDERS PAVE WAY FIERCE ARTILLERY DUEI^ (Official War Correspondent, N.Z.E.F.) ■ Cairo, Nov, 28 The Tobruk garrison and the New Zealanders have turned the tables off' General Rommel. In a rapid advance on Wednesday to Gambut, the former headquarters of the Africa Corps, the New Zealanders covered 30 kilometers along the escarpment, took BalhameE and recaptured Sidi Rezegh, where bitter tank battles last week had been fought. ~ r Simultaneously a Tobruk force, which had already torn up all the enemy mine, fields on the south-east corner of tfi«i perimeter and carved a corridor of 10 kilometres out to the soutn-east, now turned south-west and broke through six kilometres further to seize El Duda, another tank battlefield. To do this the Tobruk garrison launched armoured forces of a size unexpected by ,the enemy. •' ' Both the New Zealanders and the Tobruk garrison engaged in sharp fight* j ing on Wednesday and Thursday, but the issue was never in doubt. At the rear of the Africa Corps its dumps and supplies of petrol had been completely | destroyed by advance Imperial infantry and further British tank forces were ready to administer the coup de grace! Garrison Forces a Gap South of Gambut, Rommel seems to have formed up surviving vehicles and transport of the Africa Corps. These are already engaged by the British f. armed forces which four days ago were annihilated by an Italian official com- \ munique. Advancing eight miles through three divisions which encircled them, thj) Tobruk garrison forced a gap SOOp yards wide to shake hands with advance units of New Zealanders who hajl fought their way 100 miles up fro& the Libyan frontier. The advance 1$ the Tobruk garrison was preceded tw a heavy artillery bombardment and % feint attack- by Poles. "j The Poles crept to the rear of enemy positions, killed over 100 and brought back prisoners. One officer wounded was the only Polish casualty. Meanwhile sappers crept through the wire and placed eight bridges over an ditch on the western perimeter. ovs- - the tanks. The clatter of i;hei)* tracks and the roar of their engines were drowned by our gunfire and tife counter enemy barrage. Vt Scots Flayed On By Bagpipes The assault upon the strongest enemy position under a screen of tanks was entrusted to a famous Highland regiment. The Highlanders moved'forward over 1009 yards in the face of intense fire and literally smashed a way to victory. By the afternoon our forre had captured tyre enemy positions, broken a German infantry battalion and taken its commander prisoner. The artillery fired without cessation. The Highlanders had suffered in the initial struggle and it did not seem possible they would be able to go forward to another assault without respite," bjtt the skirl of the bagpipes sent them on with new life. At the first post they captured, a pipe-major played them on. With wild cheers they dashed forward like men inspired. ' j At the end of the first day the position of the force advancing from Tobruk was satisfactory. They had not reached the rendezvous on the escarpment, but were only four miles from it. With the second day of fighting the artillery battle reached a pitch of' intensity rivalling that of the previous day, but the advance continued and by three o'clock two more enemy positions wfcre captured. * * j Nine Months' Isolation Ends : The rendezvous with the relieving army was at El Duda, a point on the escarpment. After a quiet night the advance was resumed on the thiid day. Meanwhile the corridor was strengthened and the enemy mopped up. Over 1000 prisoners, 50 per cent Germans, are already in a cage in Tobruk. After five* days' fighting, on November 26 the signal came through that the New Zealanders were about to make contact. As the .first New Zealanders shook hands with a British soldier who; had fought a way out. Tobruk's nine months' isolation was at an end. A later communique reports that south-, east of Tobruk British and New Zealand forces are now forging a way westward in the face of determined opposition. At the same time east of their point of junction enemy detachment,still in considerable strength, are being engaged. • NO FIXED LINES FIERCE FIGHTING CONTINUES (Official War Correspondent, N.Z.E.F.) CAIRO, Nov. 29, The main feature of the fighting yes-, terday. which was as heavy as any yet seen, was the expansion by 'she New Zealand and British forces of the junc-, tion with the Tobruk garrison. Fierce, « fighting has taken place in bad weather, with & great deal of heavy rain along the coastal belt. . -r It is emphasised that the object.,.is. still the destruction of the enemy armoured formations, but the infantry, are well in the picture, as considerable opposition has been met. Details of the operations of the New* Zealand force® are still obscure on count of the speed of movements and the fact that the Sui ting is not on fixed lines of attack said defence." I®, areas already occupied local actions have continued. NO INDICATION OF CASUALTIESSTATEMENT BY MR. 'ERASER^[BY TELEGRAPH TRESS ASSOCIATION] WELLING TON. Sunday- ■*'■ "The Government has received no iO" dioation of the extent of casualties inthe present campaign in Libya." saw the Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. "• Eraser, when asked to-night if he had. any information concerning casualties suffered by the New Zealand division? in the fighting now taking place, Mr. Fraser said information would h® released to the public immediately it became available.