ITALIANS MAY MAKE STAND
British Forces Closing In On Agordat Positions
Fascists Harassed By Tank Units
AFTER THEIR HASTY 100-MILE RE- TREAT INTO ERITREA FROM THE SUDANESE FRONTIER THERE ARE SIGNS THAT THE ITALIANS FINALLY HAVE DECIDED TO OF FER RESISTANCE AT AGORDAT, AN IMPOR- TANT TOWN ON THE RAILWAY RUNNING TO THE RED SEA.
British motorised forces and infantry, meanwhile, are closing in on the Italian posi- tions in the plains around the town.
It is thought that the speed of the Italian withdrawal may have resulted in some dis- organisation among their forces, especially as they evidently have been pushed back fur- ther than they originally intended.
An Italian colun.n numbering 1,500 to 2,000, streaming east from, the frontier post at Umm-Haggar in the south-west corner of Eri- trea, is stated to be in a decidedly uncomfortable posit.on,
It continues to be pushed by British mobile units as it retreats along a single road on the bank of the Setit River, near the Abyssin- lan frontier.
THE OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUE British operations on all four fronts in Africa are making satisfactory pro-
gress.
concentra-
Yesterday's Cairo communi- tion of our forces in the Derna
que said: Libya: the
area is continuing.
are
Eritrea: while operations in the Agordat Barentu area progressing satisfactorily our troops continue to press the Ita-
lian forces retreating from Umm- Haggar. A further 100 prisoners have been captured, making total of over 1,200 to date,
"Abyssinia; east of Memm situation remains unchanged.
મૈં
DARING FRENCH
A German bomber returning after taking part in an early morning› raldon London the other, day was shot down on the outskirts. The plane crashed' on a row of houses setting fire to one of them, and broke into pieces. Attempts had been made to Mikulse the 'plane which had the swaɛtika blacked over. The yellow nose indicating that the 'plane beforged to Gaering's picked squadron had also been painted over. Photo shows wreckage of the 'plane. (Copyright; Fox).
FREE COUP
(By Gordon Young, Reuter's Special
Correspondent)
WHILE THE BRITISH Imperial Forces were carrying all before them in their drive along the Libyan coast, the Free French: Forces, it is learned, carried out a daring, suc- cessful raid on a strategically important group of oases in the heart of the Libyan De-
sert.
In the middle of January, a small Free French Force drawn from a crack camel corps. and equipped also with mechanised transport, which had secretly assembled behind the the frontier of French Equatorial Africa, began a
300-mile journey across the desert waste.
Italian Somaliland: our patrols. are again active.-Reuter,
SOVIET ACCUSES FINLAND
A reminder that they are living in a frontier republic and must strive unreasingly to strengthen the country's defences - was uttered by M. Kuust ne, President of the St premer Council of the Karelian Finnish Soviet Republ trozaw
SOVIET EXPORTS TO GERMANY
Commenting: on
Mr. Dalton's state- ment in the House of Commons
regarding United States exports to the U.S.S.R Mr. Cordell Hull/ Secre- tary of State, said yes- terday in Washington that he believeck that
American exports to the Soviet Union were insufficent to bee of any great military value to Germany. Reuter.
DR. JOHN BAKER
IN CHUNGKING
Dr. John Earl Baker, head of
TROOPS IGNORE ARMISTICE
the American Red Cross Retief! Despite the official armistice, Unit to China, arrived' in Chung-| which was dire to take effect at king from Hong Kong. by 'plane] 10' a.m., fighting between Thai- yesterday. He win stay in land and French' Indo-China con- Chungking about a week during tinued all yesterday. which he will confer with the A communique issued in Bang- Chinese government authorities kuk states Japari has .on relief affairs.--Central News. forimed of this. Reuter.
FRIDEN CALCULATORS
M.
A MODERN INSTRUMENT FOR MODERN REQUIREMENTS-
They were moving up, for an attack on the cases at
Fezzan which the Italians were using as an air base to keep watch over Free French territories in French Equatorial Africa,
00
S
#000
а
· Travelling nearly 100 miles day, the French force escaped ob- servation from the air and took the Italian garrison completely by surprise.
The Italians were 500 strong and the French troops, consist- ing of soldiers from the Tibesti and Taureg: Saharan tribes, un- der French afficers, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Colonna Dor- nano, were greatly outnumbered.
Skulked In»Fort«.
Nevertheless, the~{taliangəlm mediately withdraw from the fort in the centre of the town' leaving the "Fresh French* tak destroy at with the aerodrome,- hangars, workshops vand other installations'stögether - with!"m; number of - alsaraft..." on- the ground. The French carried out ther work of destruction: unhindered throughout the day while the enemy remained behind the walls of the fort.
The French~; withdrew/ at nightfall after their work was finished, but: Lieutenant-Colonel The Finnish Court, he said, re- Dornato, had falleæna victim to cently, decided to close the So- a unipers bullet “M. Kuusinen declared that the clety of Friends of the Soviet, Un- - Very"? feyz French were woundw Finnish White Guards who are ion on the ground that it was imed and they brought back a
aying they dre striving to main pairing Soviet-Finnish relations.-'scórav ogy Italian prisoners. talat friendly relation with the| Reuter
Reuter.
saking in Fé esterday at a| rking the an
Lenin's
niversary of ·
"death.
U.S.S.R. were actually imprison- ing and beating up friends of the Soviet Union in Finland.
0001
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