Bipreme Court
THE CHINA MAIL, FEBRUARY 8, 1941
COMPLETE ITALIAN COLLAPSE
Wavell Forces Have A Picnic In Libyan Desert
Tripoli The
Next British
Objective?
(By Reuter's Military Commentator)
THE FALL OF BENGHAZI, THOUGH IN- EVITABLE, TOOK PLACE SOONER THAN
WAS THOUGHT POSSIBLE. ITALIAN RE- SISTANCE IN CYRENAICA MUST HAVE COL- LAPSED COMPLETELY.
With the exception of one rear-guard ac- tion there seems to have been little more call- ed for from the British troops after Derna than to face the fatigues of rapid marches.
Reuter.
It will be interesting to learn cipices, snow and poor roads and whether the last of the Italian may soon be expected to burst Army of Cyrenea surrendered into the more open coastal district round Benghazi CHI whether its which it is hoped will presage the remnants are trying a long retreat | early fall of Valona and then Du- towards Tripoli, a retreat which į vazzo. would indeed be a dreadful one. harrassed and attacked from the air by the Royal Air Force and possibly on the road by day and night by hostile Arab bands
The great strategic question of a further advance on Tripoli itself remains to be dreided It will un- doubtedly call for a great Britsh Staff effort to miganise lines supply, but command of the se and the r in North Africa wil be of material assistance
No Undue Risk
From all information available it does not appear that the Italians could assemble a large and power- ful force before Tripoli and in those circumstances there is no undue strategical risk in undertak- ing this further advance.
There are many reasons which urge advance. The great moral effect on the Italians themselves as well as on the world at large. Including Britain's other enem- les, are not the only advantages to be seized by the capture of
Tripoli.
MR. J. WHYATT'S
NEW DELHI
APPOINTMENT
While Major-Gen- eral W. C. Holden will be the officer in charge of the central provision office to be established as a result of the Easter Group Conference, it is un- derstood in New Delhi that Mr. J. Whyatt, one of the advisers to the Hong Kong dele- gation to the confer- ence, will be secretary of the Eastern Group Supply Council.
•
Mr. Whyatt, who is Crown Counsel in Hong Kong, has already arrived in Delhi.-Reuter.
TOO MUCH "LIMELIGHT"
(By AN AIR GUNNER) PEOPLE OFTEN wonder how airmen manage to keep themselves warm on long-distance night flights. As a matter of fact, it isn't so difficult for the boys in front to keep comfy. There are four of them packed pretty snugly together, with room enough, if they want to, to stretch, kick; or take a short stroll.
Besides this, they are not far away from the warm, busy engines, and have indoor heating as well. Many a time on the long cruises over to Ger- many, poor old "Tail End Charlie," the rear gun- ner, envies them their cosy comfort.
"Pass the coffee, Johnnie" he | fuselage for my thermos, niched hears on the intercommunicating on one side. telephone. Or, "Yes, those search- lights must be Cologne. Just time for another sandwich.”
I had just taken a life-saving gulp when we sailed
more,
out into
aircraft
R.A.F.'S PART IN BENGHAZI COUP
RAF. ACTIVITIES before the capture af Benghazi are described in a communique is sued from R.A.F. Headquarters in the Middle East in Cairo yesterday.
It says that bombing aircraft of the R.A.F. carried out raids on Benghazi, Berka and Jedabya during Wednesday night; several tons of bombs were dropped and considerable damage caused, including one enemy aircraft destroyed by a direct hit.
Our fighters continued offen- | SIVO patrols during which machine-gun attacks were made on the aerodrume at Benina and a number of enemy bombers on the ground were damaged.
At Benghazi our fighters pu-- trolled without encountering any enemy opposition.
Air Battle
Dealing with Italian East Africa the communique added
that a South African Air Force
As
squadron patrolling near
mara encountered enemy fight-
ers and shot down two of them, Other aircraft of the same Squadron machine-gunned Bahdar aerodrome, destroying three en- emy aircraft and causing a large
pctrol fire, Keren
WARSHIPS
REPLACE TRAWLERS
In Grimsby, hard hit by the inroads of war on its fishing industry, there is already talk of the town becoming a second De- vonport. Grimsby and the Navy will never again be dissociated.
Steps for the expansion of naval have al-
again bombęd, was particularly the railway and mili-activities at the port
After the war tory buildings, while bombs were ready been taken.
Docks also dropped on a large transport they will be consolidated. yard at Assab.
that once knew only fish will have new uses
+
west of Tepelini and Krahad were In Albania military objectives bombed on Thursday and direct the town is making a desperate
With its trawler fleet reduced,
alive the in- struggle to keep dustry which has been its chief about source of existence for
made it, the air,nifiety years, and
world's centre of the fish trade.
hits on military stores and motor transports observed.
The weather during the raid was very bad but no British craft were lost. - Ruter.
A CREDIT BALANCE
1914 Debacle
Twice in a quarter of a century Grimbsy's fish industry has pass- ed through a period of threatened annihilation. Trawler owners and merchants who saw the 1914 de- bacle recall the ten years' fight after the Armistice to retrieve, lost The Intelligence Officer of markets, reorganise fishing fleets clear sky. A searchlight was Royal Air Force Station in the and modernise equipment. There is the possession of a good Tail End Charlie takes a deep stabbing straight upwards on our south has compiled a balance sheet "We are passing through harbour which would be of great suck at his oxygen mask and port quarter, and out of the bank for one of the squadrons operat- gloomier days this time" one mer- importance for the support of Bri-| wishes that he was there with of clouds, right through the beaming from the station. He says, 'chant said. tish naval operations in central them; but he mustn't move. It is of the searchlight, an
The Squadron would like to Geographically, Grimsby has and western Mediterranean bases, his duty and a point of honour came sailing towards us. I had point out that their estimates for always been an ideal port for fish. Possession of aerodromes there, that he stays in his little glass just time to see its twin rudders | enemy types may be a bit astray: Geographically, too, it new com- nearer to Malta and Sicily than turres from the moinent he enters and crosses, when the searchlight it is possible that they have been mends itself to the naval authori- any others at present available, is the aircraft till the time when with five or six
fastened a bit conservative about the Ju. ties. One claim will have to well worth fighting for.
she comes back to earth. If he is dead on my turret!
88 and Do. 17. Apart from its predominate. The future alone large (and some air gunners are Literally, I was very much in entertainment value it might be will decide which. *Resistance Wäning large), by the time he has cram-the limelight, rather like a ner-useful if all squadrons worked out med himself in, with all his warm vous actor spotlit before a great a similar balance sheet, as the Moreover, it is important on this clothing, his flying suit, parachute audience and a hostile audience debit side would make them a occasion at least to forestall Nazi harhess, and so on, the turret and at that. I felt that the eyes of bil little more conscious of their lia- occupation.
Tail End Charlie are pretty well Dusseldorf dwelt on me, there in bilities as well as of their assets. The general Italian collapse all in one piece. His freedom of my turret. Only a day or two Me, 109's (10 at £8,000) £50,000 however, is not confined to Lihvaction is whittled down to leaning earlier Haw Haw, had said how Brit'sh advances in Abyssinia to one side or the other, raising amazed Dusseldorfers were, be-
(27 1/3 at £10,000) are rapid and highly successful. himself a few inches up from hit cause, quite by mischance one of Ju 87 (1 at £10,000) In Eritrea, the British have cap- seat, and alternately resting his our bombs had bumped of their Ju. 88's (62 at £16,000) tured another 3,500 prisoners since leather-swathed arms on top of, Chief of Police, a harmless and Do. 17's (4 at £15,000) their attack opened.
or under his guns.
most worthy citizen. So Haw He, 111's(18 at £25.000) Eight or nine hours of this sort Haw had said.
He, 113 (1 at £10,000) does not, seem possible, to itaf confinement will call for a lot The light was so bright that, my Hans in Africa. Even if they ated, added to which the. tempera-I hastily put it away.
of endurance, as may be imagin-thermos shone like a diamond and tempt to stand at Keren or Ature may be well below freezing course my chief thought was
But of Hurricanes löst (26 at mara, both
these important for a long time--a chill atmos-look for that fighter. I reported Credit Balance £3,000 each) places can be turned from the phere that sweeps right through him to the pilot, who swung away south and the British advance old Tail End Charlie's assortment to starboard and dived, Just as on Magsawa continued,
of flying suits, scarves, shirts and he did so, the fighter shot over my (In Albania, the Greeks have
head, only a few feet above us. overcome terrific problems of pre-vests, be they ever so woolly.
Prolonged Italian resistance
ITALIANS TO BE PUT TO WORK
Four thousand Italian prisoners of war will be employed on the construction of the national, rond from Capetown to Worcester arid | through Montagu' Pass.
The remainder of a total of 20,000 prisoners which the South
Dead On
to
....... I swung the turret across, and then-Heavens-I remembered I
Me. 110's
2733333 10,000
DEMOCRATS CAUGHT AT LUNCH
97,500 60,000 450,000. 10,000
MEMBERS OF THE - DEMO- CRATIC PARTY IN THE HOUSE £950,833 OF REPRESENTATIVES, WARE
DETERMINED TO
THE LEASE AND. £130.000 THE SIGENATE
820,888 END OF
950,833
had forgotten to shut myself in. One night, somewhere out to Another half second and the open tracers. Not till we had wards Dusseldorf 1 began to feel doors would have been torn off again into the safety, ot rather cold. We were battling in the slipstream, and the turret could I shut those vile about through the clouds and rendered quite useless; but I halt- even then I Had to "Usk"there" "to occasional rein squalis, anded it just in time.
send up the wireless man to fasten there was no moon. We had The next few minuitos, Whille them for the. Luckily we saw ho dived pretty low on our target, ⠀⠀ "In the full glare of the search- more of the fighter.. Hej must In spite of ""searchlights and fights I struggled to get the Have sailed on over our heads. "Ħak","and" when the Observer 'doorn shut, will stay in my mind when we did, the steep dive: Ennounced “bombs. gone", and we were heading for home, 1 felt that a little hot coffee would do me a great deal of good. "We were still in the clouds and
NO MORE Yesterday
remove th by the He Dirksen on a
outPat
REJECTED
as one of life's ́nastiest periode. We have à rule itl'our squadroo The House of Representatives, If the fighter came back, I was that unyone Who" "Törkets to close by 150 Votes 18–188) <rejected" an done and so were the rest of turret doors or is guilty of simi-amendment to the Lease and Lend the crew all through my own lar stupidity pays for the damage. Bill to specify transter of sover- foolishness.
and a further forfelt as well. That eignty over territorial possessions. With hands fumbling behind forfeit paid for a round of drinks in the Western Hemiphere" as to accommodate will be employed hood of stray fighters, so I opened me, I stared right and left through for our crew. I don't think they among methods whereby Toreign: in other state departments Reu- my turret doors and reached back the golden haze, every moment even guessed what
African Government has agreed there did not seem much likell-
| Into" "the","draughty gloom of the expecting to see the spurt of his squeak it had been."
narrow countèles could repay the United
• Sintes for her åld.--Reute
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