GERMAN TANKS STILL IN TRAP SET FOR THEM

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 85, Issue 284, 2 December 1941, Page 5

GERMAN TANKS STILL IN TRAP SET FOR THEM

BATTLE IN WESTERN DESERT MOBILITY RESULTS IN CAPTURE OF GERMAN GENERAL t lied. |n p.m London. I)< <•. 1. Ihe Link lories of IL iut.il ILuiiiik . lu'iuuin eoinmandei' of the Axis African Uni'p-. have tailed In extricate themselves from the trnp set for th.iu sou I I eirst of Sidi Kezeglt. (ieneral i. el i- r> pm '"d to ha. e throw'll the whole of his available tanks into battli. but w -f> .st led in attempts to break out, and also in an ei'fiut to r< iplur. Sidi Hezegh. Siudi is the mobility <>i I lie for. , x e .. in tie I.diyati battle that the British have captured a tlerman general— (ieneral von l.avviisti in. a divisional commander. \fter his capture he said that he crossed a ridge over which lie could not see. and had the misfortune to unit up with a British Hreiigitn carrier. JI. is now in Tobruk.

General von Rav’nstin command' 1 a regiment which played an import ant part in the crossing of the Meuw in May. 1941. In June 1941. reported as commanding a light armoured panzer division in North Africa, and thi.i was later converted into th' 21st. Division. Amongst pr < captured w< re 10 oflicer.s an t 6 1 • German other ranks. Flying Armoured ( ohmins The unit which captured General Ravenstein is one of the armo.ii'-i flying clumns harrying the G rm? ns far in rear of their main battle portions, says Reuter's correspondent with the British Bth. Army They are similar to the Boer War Commandoes, travelling far and fast, often at night. They are terrorising German tank units which go into large, tight formalions for the night, and send up flares as a precaution against surprise attacks. The British raiders welcome the flares because they aid in locating the Germans, after which the tanks sweep in with deadly fit-’ against the Germans’ close-packed vehicles. Good as American tanks have proved, they are only a small part of our armoured fight-** whichs the bulk of which are British made, adds the correspondent. The tank m ws particularly praise the hpavy British 1 auks whi< h have proved ill able to be knocked out. Cnws have used some which were temporarily disabled as stationary pillboxes fiom which they continued to plaster the Germans with guns. The tanks were afterwards repaired again and went into action. The Times correspondent with the Bth. Army says that with repair* 4 i tanks and reserve- the British tankforce remains formidable, an I the relief of Tobruk has made available an additional large force of tanks Advantage should be with th» Bi tish the decisive part which armouid units are likelx to play in the bailie “The situation in Libya may Im* regarded as distinctly hopeful and encouraging,*' said the military spokesman in C airo. “The Germans have failed to penetrate the British infantry positions on any front. The enemy's entire remaining tank strength was launched ?n an attack on Saturday. These tanks were supported by armoured cars and innumerable motor transports. Our field guns and anti-tank guns bore the brunt of the attack until our armoured formations rush mI up. charged the Axis flank and prevented an advance.*’ N.Z. On the Tobruk Bridge The New Zealanders on the “Tobruk bridge" are fighting a stern battle against the Axis forces westward, with the intention of launching a massed assault on them, says 1 he Times’ Cairo correspondent. The Germans in Libya are now lighting with their backs to the wall lighting courageously and fiercely, but at most with a hope of staving off utter defeat. The Italians, when free trom German domination, light without conviction. The main action seems to be approaching a climax and the end. but it continues to he a bloody light, and both the English and G( rman < asi lilies are much above last years. Supplies after 12 days of lighting are playing a vital part. Our troops are 500 miles from Cairo, and the enemy is 300 miles from Benghazi an i 1000 from Tripoli, and Benghazi is believed to be no good for disembarking supplier. Axis air action against the British lines of communication are negligible, but the R.A.F. constantly has severely damaged supply bases and transport and land and sea convoys. The extent of the Axis desert depots is unknown, but one of the main depots, namely Gambut, wa> early in our hands and another at Solium has been useless from the beginning. Infantry attacks against infantr> in the rear of the panzers were mentioned in yesterday's communique as being “quite successful. 1 h< Cairo spokesman added: “We are sticking to the objective of hunting their tank - wherever they are, and until we ha\« I think of anything else. An authoritative view in London yesterday was that the stubborn, contused bailie in Cyrenatca was crystallising. The remains ol the tin* Ax.s armoured divisions were com eni rat* d m one loi - • hit h was tigh ing liercelx, and so lar unsuc< essluny, to break out ol the line <»t Imperial troops dos.ng in from the <-.i I. o itn and west. Meanwhile British patrols had < ui the roast toad south ol Benghazi. A Cano communique stales: After a temporal> lull on Satuidax morning, in which full advantage was taken of the position to improve communications between our forces in contact with the defenders of Tobruk, an intense battle again developed shortly after mid-day on Sunday. The remaining tank strength of two German armoured divisions, with an Italian armoured division in support, made a further attempt to break westward through defended lo alilies held by British and New Zealand troops in th* area about Sidi Rczegh and Bii el Hamed (about live miles north of Sidi Rezegh). British armoured forces!

! countei-attacked the German left < Hank, and again the battle was wrought to a standstill. By dusk on ; Sunday fieri•<• lighting was continuing. Germans Attacked From Keur. British columns brought north-west from the front.er areas have successl fully engagr I the rear of the German , lines. Further British and South i African mechanised columns on SunI day were clearing the country in all ' dire;t nns between the scene of the I main battle and the Egyptian fronl ier. I In support of the ground troops, our |air fol.'s win petsistenlly and successfull) attacked enemy concentrations in the aria between El Adem ■ and Salt Rezegh. A number of other j important targets were effectively bombed. Wr.’.e the main battle was proceed- ! inc. me< hanis d British patrols succee id tn penetrating to the Cyrenat--1 can < cist between Je.labaya and BenI ghaz 1 here they Intercepted and desire...l enemy mechanised transi ports. 1 The new battle whi h has developed ,in Cyrenaica is continuing, but is state.l to be stabilising, according to l an agency message from Cairo. An 1 attorn; t by enem) armoured troops to I break through to the westward by : penetrating the po-.lions of British ini fantry has so far failed, and the situation is regarded as satisfactory. It is 1 mainly an Infantrs battle, with tanks I supporting both sides. All the remnining Axis tanks are engaged. Besides the commander of a GetI man Armoured Division taken east of Tobruk a large num'oer of other i prisoners were stated to have been taken, including members of both 1 panzt t divisions U.P.A. AUDACIOUS R.A.F. CORPORAL AVOIDED CAPTURE SHOT GERMAN OFFICER AND GOT AWAY (Reed. 5 5 p.m.' Rugby Nov. 30. I An RA F. corporal from Yorkshire shot a German ollicer with a revolver Land escit’cd from eight Germans vho I were within 15 y ards. He has just l returned to his squadron, bringing hack a bullet-t i idlcri lorry, an injured driver and 260 gallons of precious v. atcr. The corporal, with the driver, had been sent to a source 2'l miles away to fetch water. H' left an advance landi ing-ground. from which the squadron „as operating, at 11 am. He returned with a load marly live hours later. During his aw-ence a quickly-mox Ing tank battle approached the area and ! t In* squath'»n changed its quarters. I 111 uni' of four cars on a high ridge -urn on ■ was standing up and beekonling. With no thought of danger, he Iturned Hie truck in that direction ami ' had approach".l to within 15 yards help, . , he teidised the cars belonged to the enem\. They were small armi,Hired trucks, with two m-n tn each. A German ollicer stood in the nearest • vehicle and the corporal could see the lietails of his uniform black leather 'revolver-holster, cap with prominent the African j Corns. An or I r was shouted in Ger‘man and the nfliccr turned to a solIfiier hr his side and reached for a i'rommv-gun. The corporal saw the ‘move and drew h > revolver and fire! . ■ . Before the startl'd Germans realised what had ha-,; ene l tlie R A F. lorry had swung I rour . ini) , tth daw ay in a cloud of I dust The tire from Tommy-guns I cracked into the side of the vehicle during a three-mile pursuit.—B.O.W.