NEW ZEALANDERS JOIN WITH TOBRUK

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 85, Issue 283, 1 December 1941, Page 6

NEW ZEALANDERS JOIN WITH TOBRUK

AXIS UNITS FOILED STORY OF THE MEETING OF CONVERGING FORCES BRITISH AM) HIGHLANDERS SURPRISE THE GERMANS •From the Oflicial War Correspondent with the N.Z.E.F.» Cairo. Nov. 2S. The Tobruk garrison and the Neu* Zealanders have turned the tables on General Rommel. On Wednesday, in a rapid advance to Gambut. former headquarters of the Axis Afrika Corps, the New Zealanders covered 30 kilometres along th? escarpment and took Balhamel an i recaptured Sidi Rezegh where the bitter tank battles of last week have been fought. Simultaneously. the Tobruk force, which had already tom up all enemy minefields on the south-east corner of the perimeter and caned a corridor ten kilometres out to thr south-east, now turned south-west and broke through six kilometres further to s- ize El Duda, another tank battlefield. To do thk the Tobruk garrison launched armoured force* of a size unexpected by the enemy. Both the New Zealanders and the Tobruk garrison engaged in sharp lighting on Wednesdas and Thursday, hut the issue v.as qever in doubt. The, rear of the Afrika Corps, its dumps - pl- eh destroyed by the advance of the Imperial infantry and further Britis* tank forces were ready to administer the coup de grace. ‘•Annihilated*’ Force* in Action Again South of Gamhut. General Rommel - - ing vehicles and the transport of the Afrika Corps. These hnxe already been engaged by British armed forces which, four days ago were, “annihilated by an Italian official, rrmmunique.” Advancing ♦ seht mdesj through three divisions which en- 1 circled them, the garrison forced a | gap 3000 yards wide to shake hands landers, who had fought their way | 100 miles up from the Libyan frontier. The advance by th" Tobruk garrison was preceded by a heavy artillerv j bombardment and a feint attack by Poles. The Poles crept to the rear of th*’ eneflij peritfons, killed more than If . and brought back prisoners. On" officer wounded was the only Polish casualty. Meanwhile, sappers crept through the wire and placed eight bridges over an anti-tank ditch on the western perimeter. Over went the tanks. The < latter of their trucks and roar of their engine* was drowned by our gunfire and counter enemy barrage. Highlanders to the Fore The assault upon the strongest enemy position, under a screen of tanks, was entrusted to a famous Highland regiment. The Highlanders moved forward more than Iff Ml yards in the face of intense fire and literally smashed a way to victory'. R\ the afternoon <»ur force had captured five enemy positions* broken a (•erniaii infantry battalion ami taken it* commander prisoner. The artillery fir- 1 without cessation. Along the Bardia road the enemy self, the famous Bardia Hill, a French gun. manned by Italians, hurled projectiles at the shattered remnants of the town. The Highlander.- had suffered in the initial struggle and it did not seem possible that they would b 1 able to go forward to another assault without respit**. They were bloody, dusty and tired. But. as they paused midst the battle they heard a sound which sent them on to new life—th? skirl of the bagpipes! At the first jost they captured a pipe-major played them on. With wild cheers they dashed forward like men in- • tion of the force advancing from Tobruk was satisfactory. They had not reached a rendezvous on the escarpment. hut were only four miles from il With the second day of the fighting the artillery battle reached a pitch of intensity rivalling that of the pre- • tinned and. by three o’clock, twe mor? enemy positions were captured. The rendezvous with the relieving army at El Duda a point on the escarpment. was made! The Third Day Alter a quiet night the advance was resumed on the third day. Meanwhile, the corridor was strengthened and the enemy mopped up. More than a 1000 prisoners 50 per cent, of them Gerbruk. After five days’ fighting, on November !6. the signal came through that the Nru Zealander* were about to make contact. As th»- first New Zealander shook hands with a British Tommy who had fought his way out of Tobruk, the garrison’s nine months of isolation wa» at an end. A later communique reports that south-east of Tobruk, combined British and New* Zealand forces are now forging a way westward in the far - ' of determined opposition. At the same time, east nf th* , ir point of junction. enemy detachments, still in considerable strength, are being engaged —U P A.