"BOGGED DOWN”

Waikato Times, Volume 128, Issue 21409, 1 May 1941, Page 8

"BOGGED DOWN”

GERMAN ADVANCE SITUATION IN LIBYA r r DUKE OF AOSTA ESCAPES U Uni ted Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright' (Received May 1, 3.15 p.m.) LONDON, April 30 The Italian and German forces attempting the invasion of Egypt were still “bogged*’ in the vicinity of Solium yesterday, according to informed sources in Cairo. British land and air forces harassed them constantly, while the sandstorm continued to rage, reducing visibility to under ten yards. The Navy shelled points on the coast road near Bardia and Tobruk, where enemy concentrations were observed. Meanwhile the rounding up of the Italians continues in Abyssinia. The latest native deserters to Haili Selassie’s Patrol Army include 400 colonial troops. The Duke of Aosta escaped from Dessie to Ambialagi in the sole remaining Italian bomber aircraft. The mountains around Dessie are honeycombed with caves, in which are hidden great stores of food, fuel and ammunition. One brigade of the attackers fought 12 battalions, mainly Europeans, and captured 44 guns. The South African artillery was engaged In intense action for six days. National Government Likely A Cairo message states that King Farouk gave audience to the Prime Minister of Egypt, Sirry Pasha, and also to the leaders of the Wafd Saadist and Liberal Parties. The Egyptian press has forecast the early formation of a National Government. The political atmosphere is more stable than for some time. Sirry Pasha told the press that British troops and the Royal Air Force were dealing effectively with the invaders.

SHIPPING POOL UR KOOSEVELT’S PLANS NO WARSHIPS AVAILABLE iPmced Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) , (Received May 1, 3.15 p.m.) WASHINGTON, April 30 Colonel F. Knox, United States Secretary for the Navy, states that the Navy is expected to build substantial numbers of high-speed mosquito boats for Britain, but stressed that the larger warships would not be available for transfer. Admiral Land, chairman of the Maritime Commission, disclosed that President Roosevelt was planning to create a vast pool of American merchant vessels and requisitioned foreign ships, usable anywhere at any time in connection with defence. SHIPPING LOSSES FAITH IN BRITISH FIGURES SWEDISH PRESS COMMENT GERMAN CLAIMS UNTRUE '(United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) LONDON, April 29 The reliance placed in neutral countries on British operational figures as against those given by Goebbels to Germany’s masses is well illustrated by comment in the Swedish newspaper Nu on British shipping losses, says a British official wireless message. “The old and well-known firm of Lloyds,*’ the paper says, “confirms the British figures. If they are incorrect then Lloyds have deviated from. their century-old tradition.” Referring to British shipping losses of 1916-17 Nu declares that the figures of the two belligerents at that time differed to approximately the same extent as now and it has since been proved which figures were inaccurate. The paper gives a table showing that as time went on German figures in the last war were increasingly inaccurate. In 1918 the Germans reported that about 600.000 tons of Allied shipping was sunk monthly, while actually the figure was about 300.000 tons. “Had the German figures been correct in the last war, Britain’s fate would have been sealed by the beginning of 1918,” it adds. “But in actual fact the effectiveness of mines and submarines was less and the American capacity to produce new vessels greater than the Germans had calculated.”

SHANGHAI COUNCIL MORE POWERS TO JAPAN (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. CopyrlgDt) SHANGHAI, April 30 Treaty Powers, have unanimously approved the decision of the consular body to enlarge the Municipal Council of the Shanghai International Settlement, granting increased representation to Japan. RECORDS BEATEN FIGURES EXAGGERATED (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Conyri^nt) (Received May I. 3.15 p m ) LONDON. April 30 The Moscow newspaper Pravda's report that 12,000 German troops have landed at a Finnish port has hrcught the following semi-official statement from Helsinki: “Thirteen hundred Germans passed through Finland. Moscow figures beat ail records for exaggeration.’*