ITALIAN SETBACK.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13173, 4 February 1936, Page 5

ITALIAN SETBACK.

SECOND EDITION

ABYSSINIANS CONTROL TEMBIEN. FIGHT FOR MAKALF. ROAD. United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. ADDIS ABABA, February *2. It is officially declared that the Tembien battle followed a careful and long-prepared ltaban plan, but resulted in a terrible defeat in Italy’s first real military offensive. The Addis Ababa correspondent of The Times considers that Abyssinian control in Tembien is definitely complete. while Has S»youm has greatly tightened lii.s grip on th c * Adoua-Ma-kale road. The IX'Ssit correspondent of The Times, explains that the thiee blockhouses captured by the Abyssinia ns were those nearest to the road and attributes the victory to Ras Kas>u’ s careful leadership in prolonging the battle and keeping his troops in hand until the last assault, when he cat*tured dozens of machine-guns at the point of the sword. The position of the Italians in the Makale area is now most difficult. The Daily Mail’s Addis Ababa correspondent skirmishes south of Aksum and the continuance t the struggle for the road on which the Abyssinian front line almost rests in certain places, while several patrols have crossed it. Other sources poiut out that while the main, threat is from Ras Seyoum from the southeast, Ras Kassa. based on Agula. to the east, forms the second leg of the pair of pincers. Ras Mulugeta’s arm . acting as a reserve force. The foreign Red Cross units, including the British stationed at Walclia. are working at high pressure attending to the wounded.