EIGHTH ARMY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 4, 6 January 1943, Page 5

EIGHTH ARMY

“PIRATICAL” ACTION ITALIAN FORT TAKEN BY SURPRISE (Recd. 10.20 p.m.) London, Jan. 4. The Daily Mail’s special correspondent with the advanced forces of the Eighth Army describes a piratical little action at Bungein, a dramatic-looking stone fort 50 miles inland south of Wadi Zemzem. A British patrol, before being noticed, kidnapped two defenders of tno fort, who were black Libyan soldiers. I'hey revealed that there were 12., Italian soldiers within, so the British armoured force dropped a few shells, whereupon panic broke out and lorries careered from the fort southwards. The British soused the buildings with petrol and set fire to them, after which the armoured cars drove peacefully into the charred ruins.

The correspondent says: “The point of the advance so far has reached the nearest thing to a real front line we had since El Agheila. The Germans spent four nights in the same place. Stukas have appeared in the sky and tin hats are being worn. The thunder of artillery is echoing in the tortuous ravines. The tanks have not yet contacted the enemy tanks or infantry, but the campaign has changed from headlong pursuit to cautious jockeying for positions. Officers saw the Germans digging in hurriedly in new positions. Five hundred men were engaged in one place but the Germans have done that before and abandoned better positions when we showed our heavy armour.”