AFRICAN FRONTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24632, 13 June 1941, Page 6

AFRICAN FRONTS

ABYSSINIAN CAMPAIGN THE FACTOR OF SURPRISE PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE (Rec. 8 ;p.m.) RUGBY, June 12. Officers from southern Abyssinian fronts who have arrived in London have given first-hand accounts of the operations in key areas, such as Mega and the Juba river, which leave no doubt concerning the magnitude of the difficulties encountered by British and Imperial troops and the completeness of the success achieved. While the fighting has necessarily been heavy on occasion, it is emphasised that the Abyssinian campaign has ‘ been primarily a war of administration. Success would have been impossible without most thorough- and resourceful staff work to maintain supplies, including water and petrol, over vast distances of incredibly difficult;- country. During the advance east of Lake Rudolf water was at times carried nearly 200 miles. Waterholes were separated by 60 to 100- miles and when reached would be found to contain only a few hundred

gallons. / i In this area the factor of surprise

was of paramount importance. By making s detour of 300 to 350 miles, instead of attempting to cross. 120 miles of desert, the Imperial forces, striking north-west, were able ,to attack the enemy in the rear, then strike southwards back towards the Kenya frontier. The chief operation in this campaign was the Battle of Mega,, a big road centre commanded by a desperately defended fortress 6000 feet high, which one officer described as, a second Keren. The difficulty of its capture can be gauged from the fact that the fortress contained a complete factory for the manufacture of every kind of mine and bomb. Somaliland Campaign

Another officer described the Italian Somaliland campaign, which centred round the great march from Mogadishu to Addis Ababa. One of the chief iteats during this advance was the covering of 800 miles from Mogadishu to Hara within seven days—including the actual capture of this important centre. The biggest operation was the Battle of the Juba River, and here again surprise was an essential factor in success. It, entailed crossing the river, which is 200 yards wide and thickly wooded on each side, with a force including heavy armoured units, but a secret crossing was made some way farther up the river and a path was tracked through five miles' of virgin forest in which many of the trees had trunks five feet across. This enabled the Imperial forces to swing round and reach a point on the key road 10 miles in the rear of the utterly surprised Italians, penetration being made first through the hospital lines, then the divisional and brigade headquarters, and so to the forward lines. The demoralised Italian forces broke and fled, opening the. way for an immediate push on to Mogadishu.