BRITISH FORCING ITALIANS BACK ON ALL FRONTS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 85, Issue 31, 6 February 1941, Page 5

BRITISH FORCING ITALIANS BACK ON ALL FRONTS

DRIVING WEST FROM DERNA PRESSURE ON THE INVADERS OF ABYSSINIA IMPORTANCE OF THE CAPTURE OF AGORDAT I By T«l«ffraph— Press Association—Copyright J Received Feb. 5, 9 p.m. LONDON, Feb. 4. British I’orees in North Africa are allowing the Italians no respite, and are steadily forcing them back on all fronts. General Sir Archibald Wavell’s forward troops are pushing on beyond Cyrene. which was Marshal Graziani’s headquarters for the conquest of Egypt. Infantry and machine-gunners have taken El Gubba, 3(1 miles from Derna. and the last fortified town oil the coastal route to Benghazi. El Gubba straddles the 50mile main road from Derna to Gyrene. The latter is 1809 feet above sea level and .12 miles south-south-vest from Apollonia. which is presumably cut off. The Italians, apparently, are withdrawing en masse along a parallel road from Cyrene to Barce.

After lighting their way from Derna. under Italian artillery tire, the British forces climbed hillsides inland to the enemy’s level and resumed the forward drive. The troops marched on foot with artillery and stores in the rear. Hardly a shot was fired to El Gubba. The Italians preferred to rely on landmines and booby traps, dynamiting the roads and blowing up bridges. The British, five miles west of Keren, are gathering, as they press on, great batches of prisoners and also masses of guns, lorries and ammunition which the Italians have jettisoned. British guns are harassing the tired Italian troops with tremendous barrages. Already the Italian rearguard has been halved and has lost 70 per cent, of its material. 1500 Captured, 500 Killed. The captors of Barentu took prisoner 1500 and killed 500. A large quantity of guns, ammunition and stores was captured. British forces are pushing on to Gondar and now are more than 30 miles from the Sudanese frontier, despite the Italians’ determined obstructive tactics. The magnitude of the Agordat victory deserves emphasis. Agordat is the centre of Italian civilisation in East Eritrea and has been a big military and air base since the invasion of Abyssinia. Its defenders included the crack Second Italian Colonial Brigade, with light and medium artillery, under the command of Colonel Lorenzini, regarded as among Italy’s most brilliant soldiers. The British commander tried to push armoured units eastward and cut off Agordat from Asmara, but was forced to admit that the ground was too difficult. A Scottish battalion, reinforced by Indians, therefore was sent to take Cochem Hill, overlooking Agordat from the east. They endured 48 hours’ inferno of fire. Constant heavy artillery fire made it most difficult to supply them. The position looked bad when British armoured ears, supported by a famous British regiment, made a successful attack against prepared defences running out from Cochem Hill. Indian Regiment. ' Later, an Indian Regiment, with I orders to take and hold objectives to

the last man, stormed four smaller hills east of Agordat. Simultaneously the R.A.F. spotted a strong Italian column coming in from the east. British armoured units and infantry attacked and knocked out in a few minutes 11 tanks, which was half the enemy’s force. The Italians* then retired from an impregnable height at Laquetat, south from Agordat. A swift attempt was made to cut off the retreat of the Italians from Agordat. but the enemy was too quick, and slipped out in the darkness over a secondary road to Asmara. The British entered the town without resistance. The Italians suffered very heavy losses, the killed and prisoners exceeding 2200. General Sir Archibald Wavell, British Commander in the Middle East, recently visited the Eritrean battlefront and watched the phase of the battle for Barentu.

AUSTRALIAN CASUALTIES TOTAL ONLY 623 ACTIONS AT BARDIA, TOBRUK AND DERNA. MELBOURNE, Feb. 5. The latest list of Australian Imperial Forces battle casualties released by the army headquarters brings the total to 623, of whom 135 were killed, five are missing, and 483 were wounded. The list includes casualties at, Tobruk and at least one from the action at Derna. Army headquarters stated that Bardia casualties of about 500 would be increased by casualties in isolated engagements, mopping up, and subsequent actions in which the A.I.F. was engaged. GRAZIANI SAID TO BE ILL NICE, Feb. 3. The newspaper Le Claireur reports that Marshal R. Graziani is suffering from paludism (malaria) and dysentery, and has been ordered to take a short rest. Marshal Graziani is the Italian Commander-in-chief in Libya, recent reports from Belgrave having announced his resignation, which was rigorously denied in Rome.