Nine British
THE CHINA MAIL, JANUARY 7, 1941..
Prisoners
Capture Their Captors
AMY JOHNSON FEARED KILLED
Amy Johnson, famous British
the
air-
woman who was the
first woman to com- plete fight from
London to Australia and back, is reported missing.
was
Amy Johnson flying as an Air Trans- port auxiliary pilot, which service she joined early in the
war.
Something happen- ed to her machine over the Thames Estu- ary and it dived into the sea.---Reuter.
Later.
Amy Johnson, it is now revealed, baled out of her 'plane, but on R.A.F. speedboat failed to find her, al- though her flight au- thorisation
popers from the machine
discovered.
were
Reuter.
"FIRE DOWN BELLOT"
During a recent
raid o8
the ducks at Le Havre bomb after bonb was dropped on the various basis the Maree, de la Citadelle, j Bellot and de l'Hure.
REMARKABLE INCIDENT OFF LIBYA COAST
(By Reuter's Special Correspondent With The British Navy Forces In The Mediterranean)
A BRITISH SERGEANT and eight men, captured on Christmas Day outside Bardia, turned the tables on their captors by batter- ing them down in a hatch when the 100-ton Italian schooner in which they were being taken to Tobruk, was intercepted by an Aus- tralian destroyer. The men are now back in the desert.
It was in the middle of a dark and stormy night of December 29 that the Destroyer in- tercepted the schooner "Zingarella" as she tried to creep along the Lybian coast with 100 Italian soldiers and 15 naval ratings on board together with their much prized captives from a famous British regiment.
This is how the schooner was assuming control from the unre- captured.
sisting deck guards.
12
The Australian destroyer was The sea was too rough for the patrolling off the coast when Ü
destroyer to go alongside or small vessel was sighted about 2 lower a boat, so from a distance of 20 yards, the Captain shouted through a megaphone "Follow me" to which the British sergeant answered "I'll see to that, Sir."
1.272.
The destroyer eased towards her. firing one round across her bows, whereupon she have to
The destroyer brought her searchlights into play from close In a signal to shore informing runge disclosing the Italians hop- the authorities of the capture, the ping about the deck, frantically Captain said: "The army now waving shirts and caps and shout- | have the situation well in hand ing "pringioneri inglesi" (British | with 100 Italians down below. I prisoners).
am making a good three knots There was little need to indi- but she is no ocean greyhound." cate there were British prison- ers aboard because at the sound of the destroyer's shot the Bri- tish sergeant and his eight com panions, guessing help was hand, dashed up the from below deck and quickly the worse for their trip, except baitened down 100 Italians
the hatch below.
Three Stripes
Roles Reversed
Thus, with the role of the at captors reversed the party ar- ladderrived at Sollumn, the soldiers none
the
they piece of
OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN IN THE WESTERN DEBERT-A well camouflaged heavy gun. (Copyright, Fox).
ITALY'S
HOLD ON
LIBYA SHAKEN TO FOUNDATIONS
(By Reuter's Military Correspondent)
ALTHOUGH THE FALL of Bardia was fully expected, the magnitude of the victory in its rapidity, the number of prisoners cap- tured and the smallness of the casualties suf- fered, could hardly be foreseen.
Italy's hold on Libya is now shaken to its foundations and her hold on Abyssinia is pre- carious.
in for being very hungry
had had only a small
The very poor fighting qualities' resources, for the tribes have been . shown by the Italian Army em-cruelly treated by the Italians and brown bread and very little ma phatically proves that the hearts drive from their homes. They will caroni with one pint of water daily of her soldiers are not in this war. | rise and attack every unprotect- to be shared among them.
So large a proportion have sur-ed home, As both ships rolled in
They said the Italians were renatred that it is impossible not Wreckage was
rough sea, the destroyer's captain apparently so pleased at captur-to believe that this lack of spirit is hurled into the said he caught glimpses of the up-ing them that no less than four not merely local. air and docks and quays were left turned face of Italians through the generals came to
It must be ablaze.
The position of all the As one pilot afterwards slits in the hatch. Then he saw before they were shipped off on army in Libya and perhaps is pre-coast are of such importance "to
look at them videspread throughout the whole
ports and aerodromes along the. Libyan remarked: It was a case of Fire the sergeant's three stripes clearly their abortive trip to Tobruk. — down Bellot'.
I visible as he bounded to the deck i Reuter.
valent throughout the whole Ita- the British Navy and Air Force. lian.army.
THE SINCERE CO., LTD.
41st
FREE GIFTS TO CUSTOMERS
TO-DAY TILL JANUARY 11TH.
It is Qur Birthday, But You get the Gifts
DON'T MISS THE OPPORTUNITY!
*Resistance -Doubtful
New Vistas
that their capture should be the first objective. With these win British hands, the command dof the Mediterranean will There is now nothing to pre-more firmly established and the be yet vent General Wavell. from 'moving free: passage of supplies by sea forward at once to Tobruk. Gen-from the East will be regained. erni Wavell will meet with no re- sistance until he arrives at this port and it is doubtful whether Tobruk would offer any real、re- sistance: after what has happened; carried out.
At the
same time, Britain will be installed in a position from which further attacks on Haly could be conceived and
to Bardia. In fact, it is becoming It would be a. mistake to detach doubtful if the Italians in Libya troops.from.Libya. to attack Abys- are capable of offering any further sinia. That country can await its strong resistance and I should fate, but it will not have to wait not be suprised to see Tobruk fall long for there is. a storm gather- within a week.
Jug. Reuter.
Reports say that 500 German 'planes « and......' 10,000 Garnyan soldiers are collgoted in South- ern Italian porte in zreadiness to reinforce Libya.
It is too late. and it can be re-
garded as a bluff.
WHY HE JOINED
The 'planes on their arrival would find their aerodromes al- dropped indiscriminately on Lon! This is how one German bomb, ready hammered and exposed to don, "affected the morale of the
constant attack. If the Germans civilian por man
J
attempted to move ten thousand A young soldiers by sea their fate would be
a watery grave, ww
British Strategy
himself as a bit of a pacifist".
described want home from work one day to find that a bomb had destroyed his home. His mother and his sis-. ter had been killed;
British strategy will probably, Next day that young man, Was be directed now to driving, the at a Royal Air Force recruiting Italians out of Libya altogether depot, He had only one request to before turning to any other ob- make that he should be taken {ject.
as an air gunner," e Besides havi oppose the He got his wish, (Bettiah
sday, he is. Gra- at a training camp, and when he nume is asked why, he chose, the job.öf
an air-runner
For his ibadthomes
adver
#ber-soft