THE CHINA MAIL, MARCH 13, 1941.
LIBYA POUNDING FROM AS SEEN
A BATTLESHIP
(The Navy's part in the opening of the attack on Bardia is described by a Special Correspondent who was in one of the British battleships which shelled the Italians).
<
FIRE FROM SEA, LAND AND AIR RAINED AROUND BARDIA ON FRIDAY MORNING IN THE OPENING PHASES OF THE GREAT NEW LIBYAN THRUST.
From the flagship leading the other battleships, as well as cruisers and destroyers, I watched the onslaught from before dawn until a false dusk of battle smoke and, sand shrouded the beleaguered Fascist legions from our sight.
We knew that this im- airbomb because of the spread of posing array of British heavy splinter. sea power was destined to
our
the
APOLOGISE,
VICAR TOLD
Swaffham Rural District Coun- cil, Norfolk, is indignant with the Vicar of Sporle, the Rev. T. D Rees, one of its members who alleged at a recent meeting that not a single large house in his parish had taken, evacuees.
He protested that the parish billeling officer, who lived in one of the biggest houses had not ac- commodated anyone,
The Council have now de- manded that Mr. Rees shall at. tend the next meeting to sub- .stantiate ḥis allegation or apolo
gise, and the parish billeting of- ficer Mrs. Constance Beattie, is to be there.
Mrs. Beattie has written to the Council saying:
"I agree there was one house in the parish, the vicarage, where no evacuees were accommodated. This house has three principal reception rooms. pantry and kit- chen on the ground floor with ad- jacent lurder and scullery and on the upper floors there are three principal bedrooms, a smaller bedroom and it bedroom with bathroom...
Attack Renewed deliver prepared to play its part by bombard-broadsides from starboard as we ing the area marked by began a run parallel with the triangle of the coast, ing south into the Gulf of Sollum. coast again but, this time head- the Italian lines, and the; The cleft in the land which
Mrs. Beattic's letter went on to road from Bardia, which was the Wadi was again visible.
Here were the armoured vehicles say that part of her house has for strikes inland towards which might be expected some time been used as an A.R.P. Tobruk.
counter-attack if left unmolested, wardens' post, report centre, first aid post. Home Guard post and Though we knew we had got In the right-hand corner of
for storing A.F.S. equipment. this area was our particular ob-home on them already, we pound. jective, Wadi Rahab, a-deeply ed them again." scored gully, where a great deal of Italian motor transport was. concentrated.
Hardly a ripple rumed the sea. Suddenly, ahead, whole clusters of golden stars sparkled and dis- appeared over the now discernible land. We looked at our watches. It was 5.30, zero hour for Australians. Those - winking shells told us they were keeping their rendezvous with Mussolini,
Navy's Turn
the
When our turr came a screen of destroyer's swung northwards. We followed them, but as we did so our 15-in guns were kept trained landwards, ready for their first broadside to port:
At first we thought that they were going to leave us alone, but then came a little yellow spurt of
to
We had the range of their main armament which was camouflaged among lorries and other vehicles, and, as our commander expressed it sub- sequently in a broadcast to the ship's company, each of those groups of tanks got "a decent allowance of 15-in. bricks."
GIVING
ENEMIES
NIGHTMARE
How Hitler is. trying to
light with a puff of smoke, and the create a nightmare state bursting shell threw up a smoky spout of water half a mile from of mind among his en- us. Our six-inchers barked back, emies is described by and immediately all the destroyers Wallace Deuel, Berlin cor- brought their guns to bear. Co-
the base of the cliff.
has
lumns of water sprang up from respondent of the Chicago
With their next ranging the "Daily News," who light guns hit the cliff face it- just returned to the Unit-
self, so that it began to smoul-
der like a volcano. Their third ed States.
tion,
Page D
LET US ADJUST YOUR
BRAKES!
FOR MAXIMUM DRIVING SAFETY.
TO INSURE MAXIMUM DRIVING SAFETY, LET US INSPECT AND ADJUST YOUR BRAKES
Safety through Dodwells Service
SERVICE
DODWELL'S
SERVICE
STATIONS
KOWLOON 58772
HONG KONG 24828 & 23714
BRITISH RADIO LEADS THE FIELD
effort landed fair and square Danel writes "The strategy of on the headland, and clouds terrer used by Hitler in the second began to gather from the burst-world war is as incredible and Ing shells. The shore battery unreal as a nightmare. Almost- went temporarily out of ac- nothing, it would seem. is too
fantastic or bizarre to happen." Meanwhile, our consorts with Possibly the most shocking and their 15-in. guns were
echoing stupifying thing of all things that our own hoarse war cry. The are happening, he states, is that seconds seemed to tick away indecent pictures are being used slowly as the high-pitched rustl-by the Germans as weapons for ing noise of the shel's in the the conduct.of hostilities. air faded away towards land. "They are using them." he adds, "as part of the most gigantic, most Then, suddenly, the Wadi seem- ed to alter shape. Huge black systematic, and most skilful at- tempt the world has ever seen to pointed and grey growths, now like daggers, now clustered in shatter the nervous systems and wills to resist of whole armies curves like the heart of a glant and whole peoples." cauliflower, shot up from, the val-
These pictures, of postcard ley. The whole coastline echoed
size. are beautifully drawn and with the chorus of this new fury
printed in four colours. At first as shell after shell screamed
sight they look innocent enough, home.
but when held to the light Brl- tish soldiers and French women are shown in a degrading sceno. The Nazis printed hundreds of Firing was fast as our plane thousands of these cards and pro- spotter had reported "OK." Induced a special type of trench the end he signalled nine succes- | mortar which shot the cards over sive salvos as having found the the. French lines. target of tariks and the other
'Plane Signals Hits
conglomeration of transport Typical Methods
vehicles.
The other battleships were
The use of these pictures was engaging other targets. and typical of the tactics the Nazis though we were all firing well. were using to demoralise their north of the town of Bardia it- enemies by psychological means. self, the whole coast soon be- These tactics extended to almost every fleld of human life and came obliterated by the grim thought and emotion. All were dust from our terrifle fire.
thought out years in, advance and Five: times, each of thore 15in based on a diabolical knowledge guns spoke on that northward of the weaknesses of human ner- run, while the six-inch arma.ves and human character. They
•ment, was^ also" barking," away were all employed for the pur- nt two coastal batteries.
pose of destroying the enemy's
Italian_campo, the
a matter of minutes the Battis will to fight before the first shot Fleet had flung practially 150 was ever fired.- tons of death.
besieged "The Germans have set out to create a nightmare state of mind Then came the good news among their enemies, to cause from our spotter that he could nothing less than a collective nër- see tanks and lorries burning in vous breakdown on an Interna Wadi. The wrecking effect of tional scale and to bring about 'n these huge missiles, is much grea parnlysis of will on the part of that of an equivalent l'all: Western European civilisation.
A
BUY
TISH RADIO
MADE IN ENGLAND
GUARANTEED FOR 12 MONTHS.
G.E.C
"OVERSEAS 7"
FOR A,C. MAINS
"OVERSEAS 8"
FOR DC/AC MAINS
BUY A S&C. Each successive year finds British radio receivers
"OVERSEAS 7"
Cat. No. BC 4172 for A.C. Mains 100-250 Volts
$360
less 10% for cash
"OVERSEAS 8" for D.C. or A.C. Mains Cat. No. BC4177
for 200-250 Volts Cat. No. BC 4177U. for 100-150' and 200-250 Volts $400
loss 100%
cash.
well ahead of all competitors. In the medium- price class, for instance, no other sets on the market can compare with the famous G.E:C. 7& 8. valve models,
Two points, perhaps, where their superiority is most striking are their quality of reproduction and quality of construction. Both features are matters of supreme importance to the listener and both, fortunately, are points which you can easily check for yourse
before purchasing. Ask for a free trial of one these sets in
your of re own home. Listen carefully to the quality_of production. Examine closely the fine workman- ship. Test the set carefully from every other point of view, and you'll understand at once why we say with such confidence "British radio leads the field."
Sub. Distributors: Moutrle &OOG York Building Hon Cong
ouse,
THE GENERAL ELECTRIC CO OF CHINA LTD.
seanecending. THE GENERAL ELECTRIC CO.LTD. OF PNGLAND
TEL MONAI