FINE SPIRIT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24774, 26 November 1941, Page 4

FINE SPIRIT

NEW ZEALAND TROOPS ACHIEVEMENTS IN DESERT PRIME MINISTER'S TRIBUTE "At this moment our minds are with our lads in the Western Desert," said the Prime Minister. Mr Fraser, last night, when replying to a civic welcome tendered to him in the Town Hall Concert Chamber. "They have already achieved a Teat deal there, and, I hope, with small loss. I met those boys after the Greek campaign, and I never saw a finer spirit among any men. Their won the admiration of everyone and the East rang with their praises. "The survivors of the Greece and Crete campaigns, and many other New Zealanders are to-day in Libya, but under very different conditions," the Prime Minister continued. "This time the Air Force is co-operating closely with them, and, as far as we can see, successfully. Dozens of the men said to me that man for man they were better than the Germans and that, given air support, they would sweep them back. That is what is happening to-day. "It is no exaggeration to say that never have braver men gone into the field, and our hearts, our thoughts and our prayers are with them to-night. We hope they will come through to a great victory and will smash the Nazi and Fascist Powers in North Africa and throw them right out." Mr Fraser said that during his visit to the Middle East he had formed the opinion that New Zealand soldiers showed not only individual courage, resource and initiative, but also discipline, not of the sergeant-major type, but an intelligent, self-imposed discipline. That had accounted for the fact that they carried back to the beaches of Gre,ece all their equipment. The Prime Minister referred to aspects of the Greece and Crete campaigns, emphasising the heroism of the New Zealand troops, and once again paid a tribute to the work of the Royal Navy, which had done everything possible to get the men away during the evacuations.