THE CHINA MAIL, DECEMBER 18, 1940.
Italian Troops March Down "Victory Avenue" In Egypt
R-A-F. KEEPS IT UP
All enemy aerodromes between Tobruk and Bar-
R.A.F. bombers on Mon-
Under Guard Of DUKE OF Cockney Privates! WINDSOR ON
(From Reuter's Special Correspondent Outside Sollum)
I HAVE JUST WATCHED 8,000 Italian dia in the Western Desert soldiers, officers, non-commissioned officers were heavily raided by and men, marching down "Victory Avenue" day, states a communique through Egypt. from the Royal Air Force's Middle-East Head- quarters.
Fighter planes maintained con-
But they marched as prisoners, every two or three hundred of them being guarded by a single cheerful Cockney private, and the Vic- stant offensive patrola through-tory Avenue down which they marched was the road between Sollum and Sidi Barrani, which Marshal Graziani has been building for several months past.
out the day.
Bardia suffered a further tensive raid on
Monday
in excellent weather.
in- night
Altogether more than 12 tons of bombs fell on barracks, mili- tary buildings and railways. One well particularly fierce blaze as as other fires was started.
The road, which will now be a nice present for the Egyptians, would have cost at least £60,000 to E build.
Tobruk, Bomba, Berna. Adem, and El Gubbi were at- tacked and heavily damaged. During an offensive patrol R.A.F fighters shot down eight Italian aircraft and possibly
further two.
·
J
Another Italian aircraft was destroyed while landing and further general purposes 'plane was shot down,
15 'Planes Captured
A fantastic sight met our eyes
As our
car
came
ground near Bug Bug.
over
for a medical officer to take men to hospi⚫ seven wounded
tal.
rising
We
the saw
entire
The major fixed him up with a valley shrouded with clouds of dust lorry which the Italian doctor was through which the evening sun allowed to drive himself.
Meanwhile the crashing
of glowed, while from the dust em- aerged a seemingly endless stream bombs and the roar of anti-air- of dark-green uniformed figures. craft guns had been making Bar- the with khaki-clad British soldiers dia look like Hamm when marching smartly at their side. R.A.F. are having a 'busy night.
The Italians were chatting, laughing and smoking, appar. ently completely heedless of the fact
whale that the
Illusion areated by Fascist propaganda had been swept aside in a sin-firework display gle week.
These enemy losses are addi- tional to 15 Italian aircraft cap- tured near Sollum.
There were no British losses during these Western Desert operations.
The "Victory Way" to Sidi Bar- Roman In Southern Albania, Durazzo rani, a typical straight was heavily raided despite bad road, whose rapid construction weather. Heavy
a explosions was considerable engineering were caused in the dock areas. fest, bears many signs of this pro- Again British aircraft returned paganda. safely.
Firework Display
From a height on the coast east of Sollum I watched the hottest of flaming on- ions, A.A. fire and bombs I have seen in this part of the world.
It was all part of the R.A.F.'s encouragement to the Italians at Bardia to capitulate rapidly. Only reply by the Italians was to send a small number of lone bombers to harrass the British
troops. Reuter. Mussolini Stones
Stones
Gura and Asmara in Italian East Africa were raided
All along the road are during Sunday night. At the former erected in honour of Mussolini, place a large fre WON started. and at the Barrani end is a mem- Enemy fighters damaged an R.A.F. | orial, put up even before the road bomber which, however, in anaged was finished, recording that "The to return to British territory. At 12th Artillery Company, in Asmara, a factory and a trans- face of the malice of the port park wore bombed. Enemy bombers ralded Port Suuan four times but no damage was caused either to R.A.F. property or pel- sonnel. Reuter.
DAYLIGHT RAIDS ON INVASION PORTS
the
enemy,
the burning sun and biting wind, made this road to link-together the sands of Egypt and Libya."
TERRIBLE TOLL OF SHANGHAI POOR
A terrible toll has been taken among Shanghai's poor and des- Though not yet asphalted the titute, according to statistics com- road forms a useful line of com Society. The statistics reveal that piled by the Shanghai Benevolent munication for the British
during the past eleven and a half forces advancing, into Libya.
months 29,000 persons have died There is hardly anything at
on Shanghai's streets and that Bug Bug itself-just a solitary
20,000 were children.-Central house and a series of Italian wa-News. ter tanks, now guarded' by" British sentries "distributing water to pri- soners as they stream through.
WEATHER REPORT The Royal Observatory reports that an intense anticyclone covers China and the neighbouring seas. A depression is moving east- ward across central Japan..
Pressure remains relatively low- between the Visaya and Caroline
More Prisoners HEAVY EXPLOSIÓNS ON THE FRENCH COAST WERE HEARD Several inoro thousand“ prison- IN BRITAIN NEAR THE ers had been gathered round the STRAITS OF DOVER YESTER- water tanks last night, An in-
fantry major was in charge arrangements for feeding them.
While we were talking to him
up, sa an Italian officer came luted and asked for transport Islands.
DAY.
Apparently the R.A.F. was mak- ing another daylight raid on Ger- man-occupied ports. Reuter.
GE
of
AMERICAN
EAGLE CLUB
A club for Americans serving with the British forces was opened in Lon- don yesterday afternoon. It will be known as the "American Eagle Club.”
General W. H. Hays, an Am- erican, who spoke at the opening, Britain were in the forefront of the great- est crisis the world had ever faced, They had sten the British people display indomitable courage.
said that Americans in
The chairman of the club said that the large number of Am- ericans serving with the British inc forces represented a very example of men --- that of men who risked their lives not only for their own country but also for that of their friend.
Reuter.
AMBASSADORSHIP
The Duke of Wind- sor told a press con- ference at Miami, Florida, yesterday that he had not asked for the appointment Lord as successor to Lothian, the late Bri- tish Ambassador to Washington.
"I would certainly accept it if I thought it to be to the best interests of the two countries," he added. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor left for Nassau at 10 o'clock last night in the yacht "Southern Cross."-Reuter.
TREMENDOUS IMPETUS OF
BRITISH ADVANCE
THE BRITISH advance continues and with tremendous impetus British troops have penetrated the Libyan frontier driving the enemy from Egyptian soil.
The almost incredible speed of the ad-. vance may have given the impression that the Italians are not resisting. This is not trué.
The divisions captured in all stages were taken owing to the superb leadership of the Imperjal Command.
"which fargely contributed· · to
the latest British successes,
Withering Fire
in
The enemy had no time and no Here the enemy, in cunningly chance to offer resistance, but prepared machine-gun posts reliable reports from wounded the side of the escarpment, held who have been fighting near the a tactical advantage. They pour- Egyptian frontier go to show that ed a withering fire into our ad- the Italians who had ample time vance units.
have been to prepare defences fighting with the greatest bravery,
The capture of "Hellfire Pass," one of the keypoints of Italian resistance, against florae
an enemy fire was operation
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At the same time our "rno- chanised forces roared on, batter- Ing down the wire-renca-mark- ing the frontier and forging ahead. After some very grim) fighting they silenced the guns of Fort Capuzzo.
Much of the credit for the suc-~
to cess of the offensive must go our advanced mechanised units, composed of a famous cavalry re- giment, which have been operat- ing unceasingly day and night in the Western Desert for the last ve years and know every incli of the ground;
Significant point, in the opinion of high⠀⠀⠀ "military experts pt GHQ, is the capture of a num- the ber of enemy aircraft on ground.
This is held to denote, Firstly, the shortage of aero- plane fuel;
"Significant Capture
Secondly, the formidable swift- ness of the attack by advanced.
terrible weather
LTD., the
ANDERSEN, MEYER & COMPANY, LTD.
| turnirji:mérodromes: into mud, starid
making
Joffr difficult and even-impossible.