OPERATIONS IN ABYSSINIA

Southland Times, Issue 24460, 13 June 1941, Page 5

OPERATIONS IN ABYSSINIA

GREAT DIFFICULTIES RETURNING OFFICERS GIVE FIRST-HAND ACCOUNTS (8.0.W.) RUGBY, June 11. Officers from the southern Abyssinia fronts arriving in London have given first-hand accounts of the operations in the key areas, such as Mega and Juba river, which leave no doubt of the magnitude of the difficulties encountered by the British and Imperial troops and the completeness of the success achieved. While the fighting necessarily has been bitter on occasions, it is emphasized that the Abyssinian campaign has been primarily a war of adminstration. Success would have been impossible without the 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 at times was carried nearly 200 miles. The water-holes were separated by 60 to 100 miles and when reached would be found to contain only a few hundred gallons. In this area the factor of surprise was of paramount importance. By making a 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 and 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 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 in the great march from Mogadiscio to Addis Ababa. One of the chief feats during this advance was the march of 800 miles from Mogadiscio to Harar within seven days—including the actual capture of this important centre. The biggest operation was the battle of t-he Juba river and here again surprise was

the essential factor in success. It entailed crossing a river 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 hacked through five miles of virgin forest in which many trees had trunks five feet across. This enabled the Imperial forces to swing round and reach a point on a 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 demoralized Italian forces broke and fled, opening the way for an immediate push on Mogadiscio.