LIBYAN BATTLES

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24424, 6 November 1942, Page 4

LIBYAN BATTLES

VAST SWAY OF STRUGGLE THIRD ALLIED SWEEP For 1110 third time Allied forces are moving westward into Libya, the most fought-over of any territory in this war. At the outbreak of hostilities an Italian army, under General Graziani. stood 011 the frontier of Egypt. Defences deemed adequate by the Italians had been built up on this line through the years of Fascist turbulence. Wire stretched many miles into the desert and strong posts were established along it.

The rolo of this army when Italy joined the Axis was to attack the Nile Valley with the Suez Canal as the great objective. When Allied fortunes were at their lowest, shortly after the collapse of France, the Italians moved east. Crossing the frontier on September 13. 1!U(), they advanced Tn miles and occupied Sidi Barrani. This proved the limit of their penetration. Wavell's First Drive In the second week of December of that year General Wavell launched his great offensive which reached Benghazi by the beginning of February. The Italian army was virtually wiped out. There were wholesale captures and in this battle the New Zealand Division proved itself. My the end of March elements of the Eighth Army had advanced as far as F1 Agheila in the .southern eoastaal tract of the Gidf of Sidra. This became the limit of the Allied operations and the date marked the end of Italian paramountov in the Axis campaign. Strong German forces had arrived to reinforce the enemy. The strength of tlie Fighth Army was reduced hv the demands of Greece. Rommel's Korps The German Afrika Korps, trained to perfection for a task which had been most carefully studied by German exports attached to the Italian forces, was a shining weapon readv to exploit a situation in which the Allies were far from equal to the need. Under Rommel, who was to prove himself a leader of outstanding qualities in this type of warfare, it struck toward the end of March, 10-11. The Allied forces were swept back out of Libya and the retreat did not stop until the line of Solium was reached. On this line the forces faced each other for months with practically no movement, except a frontier action in June which was disappointingly indecisive. Then last November came the Allied offensive under General Aucbinleck, forestalling Rommel's plans. The Germans fought a long fighting retreat. Once more Allied troops reached Benghazi and penetrated a considerable distance down the coast of the Gulf of Sidra. This effort ended toward the end of last January when Rommel launched the great counter-attack that drove the Allies hack to the line of Sidi Rezegh from which in May ho again attacked and was halted deep into Fgypt. in actions in which the New Zealanders bore themselves with the utmost gallantry. on the F.I Alamein-Qattara Depression line. Enemy In Full Retreat The creat bid for Alexandria and the Nile Valley saw in action again the Now Zealanders, who had been hurriedly, but with absolute secrecy, transported back from Syria where they had joined the Ninth Army. Only 75 miles of sand separated Rommel from his objective. Great deeds were done and great losses were suffered to stop him. Since then the Allies have performed a prodigious task in building up the forces which now, under General Alexander, have breached the vast svstom of ground defences created by the Axis forces. For the first time air support has been adequate and in everv other respect it appears, the Eighth Army is fully equipped for the task it has been asked to do. \\ ith the enemy in full retreat the moment is one for profound thanksgiving and gratitude to the valiant hearts who endure, suffer and die in this battle upon which so much depends for ultimate victory.

USELESS FOR DEFENCE RESTRICTED LIGHTING CONDEMNATION BY MINISTER SYDNEY, Nov. 4 "The brown-out is a brain child of brass hats, who have refused to admit the error of their ways." said the .Minister for National Kinergency Services, Mr. Hetfron. in Sydney. "I intend to light unceasingly for a relaxation of the present intolerable darkness that hinders, instead of helps, the vigorous prosecution of the war." Mr. Hefi'ron said it was inconceivable that, in the light of the proven ineffectiveness of the brown-out, a defence committee should have opposed its relaxation. It was an absurd and ludicrous decision. "I have done my utmost to have the brown-out position clarified because every day conditions remain as they are the death-roll increases and the State loses either the lives of citizens or the services of many others who are injured at night in road accidents," Mr. Hefi'ron continued, - "When the brown-out was first introduced it was said that glare or sky glow bad to be eliminated because it was a beacon to enemy aircraft or ships. That idea has been exploded, because any aeroplane or ship can reach any objective within the limits of its range. Further, the idea is absurd while our navigation lights are left on and important war work is carried out under the glare of powerful arc lights. "We have been told that sky glow will enable a submarine to pick out a ship, because it will be silhouetted against the glare. This may or may not be true, but the fact remains that enemy attacks along the Australian coast have been made where an absolute black-out exists. "Most people are afraid of the night at present because of the danger of assault- in the darkened streets. Further, the brown-out is conducive to irnmoralit v." Mr. Hefi'ron added that practical men in the armed services had agreed with him that the brown-out was useless as a measure of defence.