PATROL WORK IN THE DESERT

Southland Times, Issue 24355, 8 February 1941, Page 8

PATROL WORK IN THE DESERT

New Zealanders Are Active (United Press Association) WELLINGTON, February 7. Interesting experiences of patrol work in the Western Desert were told by one member of the party of New Zealand soldiers invalided home who arrived at Wellington. This man was a gunner who was transferred to the British Command in Egypt. “Our job was to go out into Libya,” he said, “to see what was doing in the way of small garrisons and aerodromes, and what the enemy traffic was like. When we came to a garrison small enough—we were only a small party ourselves—we cleaned them up, but mostly we concentrated on going for enemy patrols and convoys, taking prisoners and capturing equipment and supplies. We also had the job of putting down land mines where we could.” The trucks they used, he said, were fast and carried a two-pounder gun, an anti-aircraft gun and other armament. The patrols extended down as far as French Equatorial Africa and in about three months three patrols, each of 11 trucks, had covered something like 300,000 square miles, averaging up to 1000 miles a week. One amusing experience, he said, was when a British patrol approached an oasis dominated by a mud tower 120 feet high, from which an Italian flag was waving. One round from the twopounder brought it down and the enemy troops scattered in all directions. Other members of the party said that Italian aircraft were responsible for; most of the New Zealand casualties. | but there had been little trouble from ’ that direction for some time. They also I mentioned that some New Zealanders had taken an active part in front line operations and had conducted them- ' selves very well. The New Zealanders, I in general, were very fit and anxious to be given a chance of showing what they could do.