R.A.F. 'PLANES
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THE CHINA MAIL, DECEMBER 14, 1940
CREATE
CHAOS IN ITALIAN
ITALIAN REAR Tobruk And Bardia Among Places Strafed
Fighters Gun Retreating Wop Infantry
ARMED MERCHANT
CRUISER TORPEDOED.
mer-
The armed chant cruiser Forfar has been torpedoed and subsequently sank, it was revealed in London last night.
An announcement by the Admiralty said that next of kin of casualties have been informed.--Reuter.
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COMMUNIQUES AND AGENCY REPORTS FROM CAIRO YESTERDAY EVENING MADE IT CLEAR THAT THE RETREATING AND DE- FEATED ITALIAN TROOPS IN THE WESTERN DESERT ARE STILL BEING HOTLY PURSU- ED BY ALLIED TROOPS..
Several thousand prisoners, over and above the 20,000 reported on Thursday, have been taken, including two more General Offi- cers commanding Divisions,
Naval The capture of five of these officers-
Advances
On Merit
means that five Italian Divisions have been driven out of their strongly fortified positions in less than a week.
show
K.A.F. reconnaissances that Advance Headquarters of the Italian 10th Army is moving out of Bardia and is heading west- wards for Tobruk.
All the supplies of food and oil, uses 'he Italians had accumulated for the drive into Egypt have been captured by the British, who are now turning them to their own
the promotion list. tains in the upper five years of
and
Young captains of out standing merit in the This decision has been approved Royal Navy will be eligible by an Order-in-Council, says Reu-
ter's Naval Correspondent, for promotion to the rank marks an almost revolutionary of Rear-Admiral under a change in the procedure of naval
promotion and brings to an new promotion system, it, the conflict between the different end was announced by the schools of thought that, has lasted Admiralty yesterday.
The next batch of promotions is due early in the new year and will not depend on seniority, as hither to, but will be selected from Cap-
since the year 1747.
It will enable the Admiralty to get down five years in the Cap- tain's list and make promotions based on merit instead of seniority merely. Reuter.
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Chaos Behind The Lines These reports confirm the chaos Italian bases and reported to have been caused to lines of com- munication by the continual and naval guns of the Mediter- bombings of our bomber 'planes ranean Fleet.
at Sollum and that they found a Fighter pilots report large fires large column of Italian motorised vehicles hurrying back towards Tobruk.
on
STOP PRESS
The Duke of Windsor re- turned to Miami last evening after his flight to the Carib- bean. The Duke talked with President Roosevelt for an hour and a half about all the nroposed defence bases in the West Indies.-Reuter.
Artillery are opened along the whole northern Albanian front early yesterday morning and later the Greeks began to throw their troops forward under a heavy barrage against fortified Italian positions.
The Greek attacks were par- ticularly violent in the Dévéli Valley. Fighting was also violent in the valley leading towards Elbasan.
North and north-west of" Podgradetz the Greeks are still moving slowly forward under very heavy fire.
Indeed the artillery duel is.. almost continuous along ma line extending, from Moshko- polis, in the south, to Un- derishte, on Lake Okhrida, in the north.
During the day Italian: bombers were very active. along the Moshkowelis- Koritza line. The morale of the Greek troops, however, remains excellent under this assault.
Greek soldiers spoke. en- thusiastically of the help they had received from. Bri- tain and are confident of receiving further
assistance should it be necessary:-Reu- ter.
WAVELL'S SLEDGE-HAMMER
(Continued from Page. 1)
Besides continual attacks Italian aerodromes and lines 01 communication, our fighters are keeping up their raids on Italian forts fo the north between troops, and it was learned last Nideiwa and Sidi Barrani. night that in the first three days of the operations our fighters made no less than 67 attacks be- hind the Italian lines.
These were occupied by the end of the first day and our men were then able to concentrate on push- ing forward to Sidi Barrani.
Owing to the area of operations,
Throughout all this action. the says British headquarters, it is im-important Italian encampment at possible as yet to give any pre- Safafi,-10 miles to the west of cise figure for the number of pri- Nidelwa, was not attacked, al-
though contained by British armoured forces while the main British force pushed past_it_to- wards Sidi Barrani and Bug Bug.
soners taken so far.
Problems Of Distance Military circles point out that the area of the actual "battle front" is around 500 square miles. Disorganised Italian troops are scattered all over this area, so that it is possible that there are some points where the Italians are still resisting and these have to be cleaned up.
The whole of Albania,. In ́cidentally, could be put in just one corner of the battle-area formed by the triangle between Sollum, Sidi Barrani and the Siwa Oasis. The
great distances involved cause supply problems, added to: which are occasional sand-storms and the other natural difficulties of the desert.
Harrassed By Bombers
themselves on the ground while bomba burst among them.";
Sidi Barrani Epic
-
The capture of Sidi Barrani was a minor epic in itself..
Maktila, 12 miles to the east along First stage was the capture of the coast after a naval bombard- ment which put to flight the ma- leaving only the Italian garrison jority of the Libyan troops there, and some Italian officers.
Part of this fleeing force' was Intercepted by the British and wiped out.
The
It was early on Wednesday Barrant, supplementing the crack remainder reached Stai when the Italians holding Safaf Black Shirt division which was decided to abandon it, and a huge holding the town behind the ela- stream of hundreds
of motor borate defence system which the vehicles and thousands of imen Italians had been preparing for moved rapidly towards the rear, months. the 63rd Muropolitan Division These troops Included part of and some Black Shirts.
Black Shirts Cut Off
wards Sollum throughout Wed-subjected Sidi Barrani to a hail of They were in hasty retreat to- While the Fleet and Air Force nesday, continually harrassed by fire the Army attacked from three British-bombers and fighters,
One South African pilot told south-east and from the south.
directions-from the east, from Reuter: "saw-men throwing!
lum as our 'planes returned from the Tobruk raid.
The five Italian generals have At an aerodrome near Tobruk now been taken to Cairo. One of it was found that the hangars had them is General Sebastiano,
To the west, another British away near Bug Bug and cut off force reached the sea 10 miles the retreat of the Black Shirts. along the coast.
the
While a biting wind from
a been completely gutted by pre-west blew a pitiless hail of sand. Corps Commander, and he and .vious raids. Planes on the ground into the faces of our infantry, the General Melet! (who was killed, were heavily machine-gunned, on the first day) were the two Another big raid was carried Commanders of the Itauan troops put against Bardia, where bombs in Egypt.
caused violent explosions in a store: dump, the flames shooting Last to fall were some enemy 1,000 feat into the air,
strong points around the town.
It will be a big task to deal with aff the prisoners, the Allied troops have captured--but it lo
a task they will undertake most
willingly!
Incessant Air Attacks
Many planes on the ground.
were machine-gunned and three
C.R.-42s were destroyed. “
In all, over 12 enemy -aero- dromes or landing-grounds were raided, and considerable damage done,
A communique issued yesterday evening by R.AF. Headquarters, Fighter plane patrols covered Middle East, said that bomber the advance of our troops, attack- and fighter planes maintained ing and disrupting mechanised their incessant attacks on enemy transport, troops on the march and aerodromes, troops and motor lines of communication, transport all day Thursday and all during the night. ⠀
A particularly heavy rald was carried out against Tobruk on Thursday night, many tons of bombs being dropped on the town and harbour,
attack was pressed home against heavy fire and Sidi Barzani was completely mopped up by noon on Wednesday
The Colonel's Pyjamas
The operation was not without its minor humour.
In one place which surron: dered the British troops found: an Italian colonel awaiting them. with his pyjamas packed in a He was taken to n select desert bag all ready for Internment. prison camp established for the The Royal Australian Air Force use of generals, colonels and ma- shot down three C.R.-426
Jors only, whose occupants in- One of our eight-gunned 'planes clude Colonel Glusfreda; General attacked two S-79 bombers single- Pescatori, commanding the 2nd handed, despite the fact that they Division of Libyans, and the son were protected by a large escort of General Maletti who was of C.R.-426-Reuter, E
wounded,Reuter.
Fires were observed burning == fiercely in many places, and vlo- Printed and Published for the Proprieinrs. The Newsponer Ener lent explosions and fires were ob- terprise Ltd., by GORDON CADE BURNETT, Windsor Houso, Victoria. served near petrol dumps at Sol- | Hong Kong.