DESPERATE FIGHTING IN THE WESTERN DESERT

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 84, Issue 295, 16 December 1940, Page 5

DESPERATE FIGHTING IN THE WESTERN DESERT

BRITISH OUTSIDE SOLLUM

BLACK SHIRTS VAINLY TRYING TO STEM ITALIAN ROUT

[By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright] Received Dee. 15, 6.40 p.m. . LONDON, Dee. 14. Desperate fighting is reported between British advanced units and Black Shirts in the Western Desert. The Black Shirts are striving to consolidate positions and vainly attempting to counter-attack. An unofficial estimate of prisoners is 30,000. Reports reaching Cairo indicate that the British are already on the outskirts of Solium, which is General Sir Archibald WavelTs immediate objective. ‘‘More than 30.000 prisoners are now estimated to be in British hands, together with guns, tanks and equipment of all kinds.” states an official communique, issued in Cairo.

The communique adds: “ British | advance forces in the Western Desert continue to press back the enemy, who is endeavouring | to stem the tide of their route on I and about rhe Libyan frontier. A clearance of a vast battlefield continues,” it stated, ‘‘and the number of prisoners is steadily mounting. Our harassing activities on the Sudan frontier continue unabal ed.” An Amazing Advance The amazing advance of the Im-. perial Army of the Nile resulted from ’ a combination of sheer courage and ingenious tactics. The most striking tribute to lhe British advance comes from an Italian. Colonel GiusfredaJ who was General Maletti’s chief of staff. General Maletti was killed in action on Monday). General Giusfreda. who was taken prisoner, told ritish officers: “The action was brilliantly conceived and even more brilliantly executed. We were taken completely by surprise.” Colonel Giusfreda said that the action began at Nib Eiwa. when the British opened fire at dawn on Decern-1 her 9. The Italian general sent out j .'wo patrols, which heard the British} tanks approaching. Nib Eiwa soon fell, after which the British forces reformed and attacked a group of forts lying between Nib Eiwa and Sidi Barani. These were captured by the •vening and thereafter the way to ■idi Barrani lay open to the British. Tn addition to three senior generals •aptured on Thursday, two further general officers commanding divisions jre now in British hands. The five \ere conveyed to Cairo by air. The ’apture of General Sebastiano yesterday means that Italy’s two generals •ummanding forces in Egypt have neen eliminated. Most of the Italian prisoners appear numbed and bewildered. and the majority were com•lelely ignorant of events in Greece. The British captured all the food >nd oil the Italians had accumulated or an invasion of Egypt, while five Italian divisions have been chased •om strongly fortified positions.

A British United Press message j from Cairo states that Marshal , Graziani has probably lost eight | divisions—more than 100,000 men. , Military circles say it is difficult to estimate the exact strength of the Italian divisions, which are extremely flexible. The Libyan division is usually between 7000 and 8000, the Black Shirt division 10,000 to 11,000, and the metropolitan division 13,000 to 14,000. There may be an additional three to four corps of troops with each division in a big army. Dominion Troops in Action New Zealanders, Australians. South i Africans, and Canadians are partici- ' pating in the Royal Air Forces’ des- , ert “blitz.” it is authoritatively stated. Information that has been received leads to the belief that rebel ’activity in Italian East Africa, Including Abyssinia, is increasing. Hurricane fighter pilots carried out 67 attacks behind the Italian lines in three days and they reported they saw large fires raging at Solium and a long column of motorised troops hurrying across Libya to Tobruk to stop the advance, while the head- ! quarters of the Italian 10th. Army I were seen moving from Bardla to ■ Tobruk.