ATTACK ON ITALIAN CENTRE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXL, Issue 20284, 6 December 1935, Page 11

ATTACK ON ITALIAN CENTRE

ABYSSINIA HITS BACK WELL-ARMED FORCES MOVING MUNITIONS SUPPLIES FOR DEFENDERS Cnlted Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright (Received December 5, 7.0 p.m.) LONDON, December 5. The News Exchange’s correspondent with the Italian Northern Army states that the Abyssinians first direct attack on the Italian lines since the campaign started, occurred under cover of darkness on December 3, when a strong well-armed force advanced against the Italian positions at Shelikot, twelve miles south of Makale. Italian Version The Italian headquarters admit that the fighting was heavy, but claim that the attack was successfully repulsed. The Asmara correspondent of "The Times" says: "Four Italian soldiers were killed in a skirmish south-west of Makale. There was another skir. mish north of Takazze, near Addisassi, with no casualties, and several in the Tambier region, which several columns of Eritrean troops are at present combing. The impression is that the enemy is preparing to force the lightlyheld centre of the Makale-Adowa line, with the object; pf outflanking the Italians. ARMS FOR ABYSSINIA LISTS OF HEAVY DELIVERIES Cnlted Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright (Received December 5, 6.30 p.m.) LONDON, December 4. An official statement gives a long list of heavy deliveries of arms and munitions to the Abyssinians from Belgian, German and British sources, including hundreds of machine guns, half a million hand grenades and an incredible number of rifles. The agents of several nationalities at Addis Ababa are reported to be offering 50,000,000 cartridges with rifles to match, barbed wire, thousands of miles of cloth for uniforms, motors, radio telephone and telegraph equipment. The ammunition factory at Addis Ababa is being reconstructed with foreign assistance to produce bombs, artillery and gasproducing machinery. CRUISES OF BRITISH WARSHIPS ONLY ROUTINE CHARACTER British Official Wireless (Received December 5, 5.5 p,m.) RUGBY, December 4. Certain British warships now at Gibraltar are going on short routine cruises for the benefit of the crews of the ships concerned. H.M.S. Hood is going to Madeira, H.M.S. Renown to Tangier and four destroyers to Huelva, in Spain. When these ships return to Gibraltar the other vessels there will make similar cruises. The movements are entirely of a routine character and have no other significance.