TANK OPERATIONS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 78, Issue 24136, 1 December 1941, Page 8

TANK OPERATIONS

AGAIN CONSIDERABLE WIDENING CORRIDOR STRONG-POINT TAKEN (Reed. 6.30 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 30 The dour battle in Cyrenaica continues without abatement, says the British official wireless, quoting a Cairo headquarters communique, which states: "Heavy fighting continued on Friday in the area southeast of Tobruk, where the British and New Zealand forces are gradually widening the corridor of contact. '•To. the east, British troops on Fn- - day evening captured a strong-point north of Bir el Hamid, taking several hundred Italian prisoners. To the west the enemy troops, who are predominantly German, continued to offer stiff resistance. Up to Wednesday evening the British troops who had arrived from Tobruk had captured 79 field and medium guns, together with quantities i «of« light and anti-tank artillery, machine-guns and small arms. - " Bitter Fighting Continues "South-west of Sidi Rezegh German and Italian armoured forces which had "been scattered and forced to withdraw to the eastward the previous day by British armoured forces reassembled 'their medium tanks during Thursday night., On Friday these Axis armoured forces once more moved westward, where "they were again heavily engaged by our armoured forces. On Friday evening bitter fighting was stiill continuing without either side having given or 'gained ground. - "On a number of occasions on Friday our air force was able to take advantage of the opportunity offered to attack enemy concentrations in co-opera-'tion with ground troops. Bombing and low-flying machine-gun attacks were ■particularly successful against the German and Italian armoured forces en.gaged in the tank battle south-east of Bidi, Rezegh,'' Break-Through Not Impossible An explanation of points in the communique is given by well-informed observers in London. The capture of the strong-point mentioned in the communique is part of the operation of - widening the corridor of contact in the Tobruk area, and this operation is clearly satisfactory. Meanwhile, it is apparent that tank operations have again assumed considerable dimensions since the German party raiding eastward has been joined by elements of the Italian division which wasj severely handled at El Gobi and later at Sidi Rezegh. It is regarded as satisfactory that these combined elements are east of the line south of Tobruk, as they can be dealt with there with advantage. It must not be assunned, however, that it is impossible for them to break through. While their supply situation is not enviable, there must be a certain amount of material left in the area which they can use. Pockets _ of enemy resistance are authoritatively stated to have been still holding out oh Thursday at Sidi Omar and two areas near there. In the Tobruk area there are signs that the cneiny artillery is thinning out, and { small pockets of the enemy were being rounded tip on the Bardia road on Friday. It is now learned that the enemy raiding column which crossed the frontier at Sidi Omar on Tuesday, after being bombed, shelled and attacked by .tanks, apparently turned back into Cyrenaica and went north. Some elements, joined small enemy columns at Bardia, Halfayn and the Sidi Azeiz area. On Thursday afternoon, while proceeding westwards, it was interceptted arid attacked by British armoured forces about 12 miles south of Gambut. FORCES FROM BRITAIN ' 70 PER CENT OF TOTAL JGRecd. 6.10 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 29 The Minister of Information, Mr. Brendon Bracken, in a speech at Oxford, revealed that 70 per cent of the Imperial forces in Libya were from Britain. r' . PACIFYING THE CZECHS .KRecd. 7.6 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 20 . A Berlin news agency states that the .«yil emergency imposed on five Czech districts two months ago will be lifted on December 1 for the pacification of jrnose areas.