BRAVERY OF GARRISON

Waikato Times, Volume 129, Issue 21549, 11 October 1941, Page 8

BRAVERY OF GARRISON

AFRICANS, NOT ITALIANS (Omclal Wireless) (Received Oct. 11, 3.15 p.m.) RUGBY, Oct. 10 Interesting comment has been made in London on the Italian Government’s effort to make capital out of the resistance of the garrison at •Wolchefit, in Abyssinia. When most of the Italian forces in the country surrendered two contingents holding strong positions in the mountain country of Gondar and Wolchefit refused t.o lay down arms, and during the whole rainy season, when the approaches to their strongholds were impassable, they continued their resistance. Wolchefit surrendered on September 27. The Italian press and radio had been loud in their praise of the heroic garrison, and rightly so, for brave men deserve praise. But credit .should be given where credit is due. The total strength of the Wolchefit garrison when it surrendered was just over 3000, and of these 1631, little more than half, were Italian. The rest were African troops.

Oil September 10 an Order of the Day issued by the Italian general had given the casualty figures for the four months’ siege as: Killed, 54 Italians, 193 Africans; wounded, 89 Italians, 456 Africans; total, Italians 143, Africans 649.

For every two Italians killed or wounded there were nine Africans. It was easy to see who bore the brunt of the fighting. The Italians lost only 17 men out of every 100, while the Africans lost 61 out of 100.