ISLAND OF LEROS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25384, 16 November 1943, Page 5

ISLAND OF LEROS

GERMANS USE PARATROOPS GARRISON IN GOOD HEART LONDON, Nov. 14. The Germans a|re dropping paratroops to split Leros Island in two at its narrowest point, driving the British and Italian troops in the north and south, says Reuter’s Cairo correspondent. The British and the Italians are numerically inferior, but weli equipped, and the garrison is in good heart. A German communique states that the Germans on Leros are continuing their successful battles against fairly strong enemy resistance. A German war reporter said: “The grimness of the fighting can be gauged from the fact that the German landing force was twice driven back to the sea before it could form a bridgehead.” Leros town and harbour are still held by the Allied garrison in face of fierce attacks by the Germans from the north, south, and west, states a war correspondent in Cairo. No attempt so far has been made by the Germans to capture the small naval base of Porto Laco. After rushing reinforcements to their landing points throughout yesterday, the Germans finished by completely straddling theisland. Minor territorial gains were made by the British troops in the Clibi area, in the northern sector of the island, where the Germans were driven back by swift counter-attacks. Although the enemy has improved his positions in the central sector, Where he dropped his paratroops, the British continue to hold him in his drive towards Leros town itself. In an efort to destroy German airfields and smash their aircraft. R.A.F. bombers attacked Calato and Cos airfields last night. Long-range fighters continued their efforts to drive off attacking Stukas over Leros. Yesterday. with Stukas based on Cos and Rhodes, the Germans maintained allday attacks on the British ground troops. An eye-witness account of the battle for Leros says so far it has been mainly a duel between our infantry and A.A. gunners and wave after wave of German dive-bombers. At first light on Friday enemy landing parties were spotted approaching the shore. A hot reception awaited them, and the invaders were repulsed, except at two points, with considerable casualties. Then the Germans made use of their local air superiority to fling in Stukas with the object of pinning down our troops while the enemy consolidated his hold upon the bridgeheads he had managed to establish at heavy cost. Wave after wave came thundering over, and then screamed down upon the defenders. Our A.A. gunners gave them everything they had, and the men of the Italian garrison, stood their ground bravely, too. As the day wore on low-flying transport planes appeared and started to drop parachutists with supplies for the enemy’s landing parties, which were having a difficult job to cling to the foothold they had won in the first hour. Meanwhile, ships of the German invasion fleet kept circling the island, but appeared reluctant to come close again after the battering they received in the first attack.

Berlin claimed 'that a large group of British soldiers, including officers, were captured when the Germans occupied Veglia, Cherso, and Oussin, islands south of Fiume. The announcement added that the Germans seized a considerable quantity of weapons.