STIRRING MOVES

Waikato Times, Volume 129, Issue 21599, 9 December 1941, Page 6

STIRRING MOVES

NEW ZEALAND TROOPS

SUCCESS OF DRIVE GERMANS DRIVEN OFF (omclal War Correspondent, N.Z.E.F.) j TOBRUK, Dec. 5 j New Zealand’s part to date in the Libyan campaign has been one of the i | highest importance to the success of j ! the British drive in the Western j Desert. It may yet be proved that the brilliant dash across the desert by the New Zealanders, who flung themselves fearlessly against the pick of Hitler’s forces in Africa, has laid the foundation for a British victory in this theatre of war. Through the haze of smoke from the swiftly changing battlefields, through dust clouds created by the wheels of hundreds of vehicles, I look back to the day, over a fortnight ago, when the first spectacular raid by the New Zealanders began. Here in shell-torn Tobruk, in a dug-out formerly the home of an Australian signals officer, I write this dispatch in retrospect. • Occasionally shells whistle overhead from German long-range guns. . I can see again that amazing spec- . tacle as 3000 vehicles of the New r Zealand Division roared through the . night across the desert to go into the . first action of the Libyan campaign, j I can see again the quiet smiles of 1 satisfaction on the faces of the Gen- • eral Officer Commanding and his staff when the first news came through ! of the capture of Fort Capuzzo by one of our infantry battalions, without a J shot being fired. ' Simultaneously came the cutting of the vital pipe line from Capuzzo ‘ to Hellfire Pass and Bardia—swift - work by our engineers, who had cut : off the water supply to two enemy ■ strongholds. 1 Spectacular Attacks by Maoris Then came the spectacular dawn 1 attack on Solium barracks by the | Maoris, whose electric dash across 3 the flat in front of the barracks was • too much for the enemy. The Maoris drove the hun out of the barracks down into the township of Solium. Further west and_lto the north other New Zealand infantrymen, with machine-gunners, successfully con- . tained Bardia. The Hun could not get out. So on the first day of the ’ attack the shock tactics of the New Zealanders had resulted in the capture of Fort Capuzzo and the successful bottling up of the enemy in ; Bardia and Hellfire Pass. Across the ’ desert towards Tobruk raced more New Zealanders to aid one of our 1 armoured brigades which had struck ? trouble where the enemy forces were 1 at their strongest. 1 Hard on the heels of this formation came more New Zealand infantrymen, who had been diverted i from one task to add their weight to the attack. On went the New Zealanders. ; The spearhead of the main British . offensive, they flung themselves with . all their force and skill against Hitler's special Africa Corps. They inflicted terrific casualties and captured hundreds of prisoners. Ger- ’ man staff cars, with the sign of the ; Afrika Corps, a swastika, shaded by a palm, painted on them, were now ' being used by our troops. ’ Within three days Hitler’s crack troops were in confusion. The New Zcalands had driven them off all the important heights of Sidi Rezegh. Held Ground Heroically 1 Their shock tactics had resulted in the capture of Bel Hamed, and El--1 Duda was in their hands. For days they held their ground heroically, destroying each German counterattack before it had developed to . its full strength. Strong pockets of . enemy resistance were cleaned out in these desperate days of fighting, . and while the New Zealand casualty L roll was growing the enemy was i having terrific casualties inflicted on l him and his value as a striking force i was being rapidly undermined. That, after all, was the main object of the British drive—to destroy enemy forces in Africa. The sudden realisation that this was rapidly happening caused General Rommel to make a complete change in his plans. He brought up ail his armoured forces, which had been trying to cut the New Zealand lines of communication in the , east, together with what remained • of his two panzer divisions. Once ■ they were massed and organised ne i flung their full force against the New ■ Zealanders. The South African troops were ! gallantly fighting their way towards J us, and British armoured forces were Hastening to our aid, but could not ’ reach us in time. [ Then came that grey day, only five [ days ago, when the New Zealand re- , sistance, magnificent though it had [ been, had to give way. The New r Zealanders fought with their backs to » the wall. They were on top all the way when opposed by German posi- ; tional troops, but could not hold ; General Rommel's panzer forces. So . the New Zealanders were driven off l the desert heights of Sidi Rezegh by : hun tanks. Supported by only a handful of damaged British tanks, which up till then had given excellent suppport, the New Zealanders found themselves facing odds against which they had no chance. They had thrust deep into the strongest enemy concentrations south-east of Tobruk, but General Rommel had turned the tables by gathering together all his available armoured forces and launching a fierce attack with 50 of ‘ his heaviest tanks. No infantry brigades could stand up to this, less still when they were exhausted from ; days and nights of bitter relentless fighting. Fought to the Last

The New Zealanders fought till the last. Anti-tank and artillery guns were flashing in the dark as the tanks advanced. It was useless. Nothing could be done now to smash this heavy tank attack. A wedge had been driven clean through tne New Zealand forces and they were split. Some withdrew towards the 3 obruk defences to fight on with British Australians and Poles. Others withdrew to the east. Their gallant, fearless fighting had been the biggest factor in creating the corridor to Tobruk. Their work was undone when the hun smashed the corridor by recapturing Sidi Rezegh and Bel Hamed. It was a bitter disappointment to the fighting troops. Battle of Sidi Rezegh

Here, now. is a picture of the battle of Sidi Rezegh, the key to the

corridor of Tobruk. British armoured forces made the first attack on the all-important high ground of Sidi Rezegh and captured this vital area. British infantry troops were put into Sidi Rezegh to hold it. They were knocked out by the relentless hammering of the huns and were replaced by South Africans. The New Zealanders were now fighting their way across the desert to aid the South Africans, but before we could reach them the South Africans had been over-run and scattered by a German tank attack. Now the New Zealanders were involved in the toughest fighting of the whole battle. They captured Sidi Rezegh, Bel Hamed and El Duda. They smashed their way through to Tobruk and linked up with forces from the Tobruk garrison. They did tremendous damage to the German forces around Tobruk. They hit the hun so hard and caused so many casualties to the positional troops that General Rommel was forced to alter the whole plan of his attack.

That, brieflj r , is the story of the battle of Sidi Rezegh. While the majority of the New Zealanders are reorganising and getting their second wind, formations of our troops still hold positions outside Tobruk. Again yesterday they were attacked, but at the height of a dust storm they drove the enemy off and continue to hold their part of the line. Although the New Zealand losses nave been severe, it must be remembered that only part of the force j was engaged in the battle of Sidi i Rezegh. One part of the New Zeai land division remained in the SolI lum-Bardia sector. Those troops J are still virtually intact.