NEW ZEALAND DIVISION

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 85, Issue 296, 16 December 1941, Page 8

NEW ZEALAND DIVISION

BATTLE IN LIBYA DELAYED DESPATCHES ACTION TOWARDS END OF NOVEMBER Olliiial War Correspondent. 2nd. N.Z.E.F. Cairo, Dec. 13. The New Zealand correspondent was a long lime on the way tnroug.i the battle zone but arrived at the front line to see the tierce lighting round Sidi Rezegh, and in these despatches he tells the slori of the lighting between November 23 and 27. "Western Sector, Nov. 23. This is the battle of Point 175, which is the only name 1 can lm« for a slight rise in this almost featureless waste or sand and camel-scrub some 30 miles southeast of Tobruk. This is giving this westward-moving New Zealand formation, commanded hj‘ an Auckland brigadier-barrister and supported by British tanks, its third and most impotant taste of action in Its hours. Just before dusk last evening the force scattered a Luftwaffe ground-staff party and took prisoner 15 in a brief encounter. At sunrise the morning of the battle it surprised and defeated a well-armed enemy column which apparently’ formed the tail-end of the rapidly-retiring headquarters of the German Africa Corps itself. The prisoners there numbered over 100 and included a senior Italian liaison officer. Yesterday, after reaching a track running south of, and roughly paralleling the main BardiaTobruk road, we set out without delay to attack the enemy position al Bir El Chleta. roughly 9 miles south-west of Gambut. This meant a 20-mile westward drive in which we stopped long enough to chase the fleeing Luftwaffe ground personnel. Auckland Infantry. As the Auckland infantrymen deployed the German party made off in haste, deserting 15 comrades stranded in a broken-down truck. These made some attemt to light but were captured after a brief exchange of fire. Our journey dramatically turned Into a forced march as we pushed on into the dusky murk of evening. A car came flying alongside our column. I heard a warning shout: ‘Emergency orders.' They were instructions to distract the enemy forces apparently hemming in support troops and British tanks, which had met the Germans some days ago. 1 found myself on the fringe of this brief but hectic breakfast-lime encounter with the German column bringing up the rear of the corps headquarters. Our lield guns engaged the enemy transport at close range and the heavy British tanks, supporting the artillery, rumbled into action. We heard the staccato bark of tank guns as they turned on three staff cars and two armoured cars which were try ing to escape and stopped all five. Two vehicles bust into flames, sending up great columns of black smoke. Wellington infantrymen leaped from trucks and opened tire with rifles and light machine-guns. Red tracer shells flew’ and bullets whistled between us and the enemy, who were overwhelmed by our many-sided attack. A column of half a dozen vehicles attempting to force an escape eastwards was stopped by our vicious Vickers fire over open sights. Then a general surrender began. Like field-grey ghosts rising out of the dark-green scrub, clusters of Germans with hands in the air but not in the Nazi salute came running towards us, babbling a pitiful ''Please' Mercy!' Just as we found in Greece the vaunted Nazi soldier had become a very ordinary and very frightened human being once he was up against it." Wellington Infantry. Western Sector, Nov. 24.—Sweeping across two miles of scrub-covered plains, the Wellington infantry took and held Point 175, a strong German position 30 miles south-east of Tobruk, yesterday, despite fierce enemy counterattacks. Just before nightfall South Islanders repulsed a heavy tank and infantry offensive, capping a day of bitter but successful operations. Three hundred prisoners were captured in these actions and were added to 100 captured in tne morning and several parties the previous day. This makes a total of 450 prisoners, nearly all Germans, to this New Zealand formation in its brilliant forced march to the main theatre of operations. Although we have moved too fast to assess the results accurately, enemy casualties in killed and wounded must also be heavy. Our anti-tank and field-artillery batteries have been exteremly effective m close-range action. The formation moved straight into the Battle of Point 175 within a couple of hours of the morning engagement. Our wheels had hardly slopped rolling before artillerymen and machine-gun-ners rushed into action. Then I watched the Wellington Battalion make ready to advance while British Valentines, the new heavy infantrytanks in action for the first time, thundered forward like battleships crossing a dark green sea. Our troops followed part of the way in buses and then dismounted to follow the tanks with their own Bren-carriers, The atmosphere was tense and expectant. The air was filled with the intermittent tattoo of Vickers fire, the crack and rumble of guns and shell bursts, and the distant thump-thump-thump of tank weapons. Walking coolly and steadily in open lines, the infantrymen dwindled to black specks as they pushed on towards the horizon, where the sharp level rim was growing blurred with a haze of smoke ana dust. Here is the general story of what happened from that point onwards: The tanks forged through to their objective, where they met strong anti-tank fire as they cruised about seeking our enemy strongpoints before reassembling. Behind them the New Zealand infantry ran into heavy opposition in well-armed pockets, which included derelict tanks used as pill-boxes. But the New Zealanders fought their way to the objective, only to oe driven back some hundred yards in the face of a spirited counter-attack. Determinedly they attacked again and recovered their lost ground. Once

more they were pushed back, but once more they regained their objectives, which, with lite support ol two Auckland companies, they held for the rest of the afternoon under heavy lire until nightfall brought a lull. The Germans, who were strong in artillery, mortar and machine-gun lire, inflicted several casualties but they suffered far more losses tnan the New Zealanders. Point 175 was consolidated this morning. While this action was progressing yesterday South Island infantrymen pushed southwest and contacted the South Africans without meeting opposition. South Africans Stop Heavy Attack. Later in the afternoon, however, the South Africans stopped the fail force of a very heavy German lank attack and were driven from their positions, leaving the New Zealand Hank exposed. Just before nightlail, when the South Islanders were due to fall back, the enemy attacked fiercely with tanks and inlantry, but were fired on and severely damaged with little loss to ourselves. The morning' Drought the news of the tank nattle fought in the south last evening,' when 50 enemy tanks were reported to be destroyed.” ( ‘Before Sidi Rezegh, Nov. 23. In > peaceful sunshine we crossed a ridge littered with German dead and our own—the fiercest lighting of the campaign so far, where New Zealand troops came to close grips with entrenched Germans in the first of the grim battles which are winning us miles of high ground from Point 175 to Sidi Rezegh. To-day, too, our advance goes on. This is a westward drive to Tobruk, and by the afternoon: the New Zealanders had f< t hl their j

' way to positions only a dozen miles from the outer perimeter ol the town. • Holding a strong straight line which runs from the top of an escarpment northwards across shallow valleys, • they have squeezed the front of the ■ main enemy concentration several • miles further west towards Sidi ■ Rezegh. 1 am on the left Hank of a plateau with the formation which be- ■ gan the attack on this front, while i the remainder of the New Zealand i force drove to the Capuzzo-Bardia : sector. A large composite group from , that zone joined us on the right last night after marching from the Bardia Road. Those were New Zealanders who look Gambut, and until they arrived we nicknamed ourselves tne ■ ‘lost legion,’ for we had been divorced from the New Zealand Division for four days. But these troops 1 am with lost nothing of their dash. Today they gained another live miles, took over 3UO more prisoners and in1 flictcd further heavy damage on the German force. The Battle of Point 175 proves to have been the opening 1 phase of the major operations now I progressing against the Sidi Rezegh- ‘! Bel Hamid area. Yesterday the Auck- ! landers here engaged the enemy in II order to straighten a kink in our line. I Intermittent artillery exchanges con1 tinued ail day, and it was an exciting interlude in the afternoon. when lield-guns, tanks and machine-guns opened lire simultaneously on an enemy ammunition lorry unwittingly passing close by our flank. Troops climbed atop their vehicles to watch the truck blown to pieces. Then towards evening the artillery lobbed shells around a suspicious motor column advancing over a rise. Two ' enemy staff cars leading broke away and fled. The rest proved to be cap-

j lured South African ambulances with • British wounded. A medical officer, i who had already been captured and I escaped once before, said the German . guards had evidently mistaken oui • lines for theirs. Some time during 1 the night the enemy sowed land mines i in front of us so hastily that they had t not even buried them. As the ad- ■ vance was resumed our sappers went ‘ out and salvaged 50 miles for their 1 own possible future use. i i Attack Before Dawn. L i With the attack before dawn on 3 positions in front of them the Auck- . landers first moved forward and » gained their objectives by 10 o’clock 1 after advancing 4uoo yards. The op- • position was fairly light, except for an ; isolated blockhouse which the Ger- . mans had turned into a strong , machine-gun nest. It delayed the ad- . vance until it was overcome in a con- « centrated attack by one company. L Light opposition was also met by the [ South Islanders, who launched a drive • at dawn which took them nearly live . miles. They took 300 prisoners in an . occupied aerodrome area which had i been taken by armoured forces in the . early campaign and later recaptured . by the Gemans. It was covered with r the wreckage of planes destroyed b> ! the British in the original lightning , attack. This New Zealand group had i been confined to the desert since lhe\ • crossed the frontier, and the onh ; signs of normal habitation had been [ occasional isolated blockhouses. The . present battle is grim, bitter, posii tional warfare in which every yard or • ground must often be fiercely fought , for." ‘Outside Tobruk. Nov. 27.—Here on the Ijft flank Auckland and Welling-,

ton infantry, with supporting troops, fought fiercely under a jiale moon two night ago bejond the Sidi Rezegh area, and during the whole following day faced and repulsed heavy counter-attacks. Enemy mortars and artillery cracked and thundered with little respite and machine-guns swept across the open fields. The South Islanders met similarly strong opposition from the first light onwards, but made an advance of 800 yards by 8 o'clock. They reported a tank battle raging in the distance. Darkness last night saw further ground gained, the Aucklanders moving 120 ' yards westward before digging in and then perssing north in the morning towards the edge and towards the escarpment. The South Islanders also attacked by night and were again in a hot engagement this morning until the enemy retreated, leaving tr.res tanks which they had been using as machine-gun nests. An appreciable quiet reigns to-night. Every night reminds me of Crete, because of the Germans' fondness for tilling the sky I with brilliantly-clourcd flares. They seem on edge after dark through fenr of night operations. The noise ot i their artillery and mortar barrages mingling withour own attacking fire I has been terrific.”