1941-05-15 — Page 19

THE CHINA MAIL, MAY 15, 1941.

Shuttlecock

Page:

Library, Supreme Go

Operations In

Desert: British Initiative

Mechanised

Troops In Action

OPERATIONS IN THE Western Desert continue to be of a shuttlecock nature, and after Monday's German thrust the British

Raschid

forces have taken the initiative by pressing Ali In

home with mechanised forces in the Sollum area and also harassing the enemy columns surrounding Tobruk.

Military circles in Cairo consider the Ger- man thrust was planned temporarily to throw out of gear the effectiveness of the ever- increasing British armoured patrols.

The temperatures have agnin} shot upward in North Africa and with

confitate

a

blazing wndespread operations become dit Beult Mihimy curries are col fidunt, however, that whateve tactics the enemy cheeses ther will

br

Isolation

Reports from Iraq show that not a single tribal chief is among persons

ture of a strongly defended who have sent telegrams |

enemy pos lion. Prisoners taken number 500 with two batteries of

of artillery. five light and one anti-tank gun.

tanke

Our Droops have also occupied countered by equally Alg, an niportant pest north of vigorous assaults by the Boh Yavello, wifle on the Neghell- Imperial forces.

Reuter's special correspondent with a mobile patrol in the Western Desert

nor says that

50.

Dalle road the pursuit enemy is continuing

+21

the

to

congratulation Raschid Ali in connection with his anti-British

movement.

Only prominent Iraqi person- ality who has expressd sympathy IN AN ACTION ON MONDAY with the movement is Na Suwaidi, WITH THE ENEMY REAR brother of the ex-Foreign Min- only arc the Germans being GUARD, WHICH WAS DRIVEN ister, Tewfik Suwaidi. All others held on the

BACK WITH HEAVY LOSSES, | abstained. who.c of the mile front, some 40 miles inside OUR TROOPS CAPTURED OVER the Egyptian border, but recon.

100 PRISONERS,

naissance 'planes reported you terday morning that one or two of the five columns appear to be withdrawing.

This may mean they have had tu abundion The intention thrusting along the coast samul- taneously with an attempt to cut] off the Alied forces by a south- ward sweep netoss the desert

In Iraq the situation is quiet Reuter.

Hess Again!

(SPECIAL TO "CHINA MAIL")

Raschld All's cloaest sup. porters appear to have been drawn from a little known cilque of malcontents and In. triguers.

It is recalled that Ruschid Al himself spent a year in confine- ment 10 1936

afterwards

Authoritative eireles, in Cairo went to Berlin for medical treat- believe that Rudolf Hess might ment {{tzte".

At the moment it is stil not reveal mnformation regarding Axis clear whether the

- full-seade effort

attack . a only a big

raid intended to te 1 the strength of the Allied force and positions

Hesitant Standstill

Soon after pushing fat ward at sunrise on Monday the Germans net Albert advanced detesave screens and artillery she led the clouds of swirling dust which marked the positions of the ad- vancing German eight-wheeled armoured ears and tables.

This brought them to a hesitant Standstill.

a way

While they were trying un- succeerfully to feel through the Aliled positions, fighter planes suddenly swoop ed down on them from the sun, sending them scurrying in all directions.

troop dispositions in the Western Desert

The theory is supported by the fact that the German five-pronged attack in the desert was launched without aircraft, an extraordinary departure from traditional Nazi ground and aur blitz tactic, and without supply columne Inter- national News Service,

In order to overcome the prits of Naz! fire bombá every able bodied man between 16 and 80 not already engaged on civil defence, is now lable to immediate call-up in the new fire-fight- ing service. For the first time in British history olvillans will be conscripted to give up to 48 hours a month guarding office, factory or home, Photo shows a voluntary fire watcher equip ped for action on the roof of a London building. Fox).

NAZIS FEAR

(Copyright,

PEIPING

DAMAGING HESS BOYCOTT

REVELATIONS

ATTACK IN LINE ABREAST hallucinations; according to the Berlin cor-

THE LETTER LEFT behind in Germany by Rudolf Hess contains no sign that the Nazi Deputy Fuehrer deserted in consequence of

Aircraft of the Bomber

First Action

Command struck a sharp 'Plane after 'plane swept low blow at Heligoland in full] through the dust clouds all through the day. until darkness daylight when they at-1 over the desert swallowed tacked in line abreast at In these operations South 150 feet, states the Air African Air Force units were in Ministry news service.

armoured cars and tanks.

action for the Arst time in the Western Desert. They had ar- rived from Eritrea, Reuler.

Limited Offensive

A' limited offensive operation from Tobruk and the withdrawal

Before the defences could open

up the pilots had seen their tar- es and were bearing down upon

them.

respondent of the "Basler Nachrichten" yesterday this was officially stated in Berlin.

The statement, the correspondent adds, warns the public against drawing conclusions from statements by Hess from England which Britain will use for propaganda purposes and which already have been branded as "obtain- ed under duress."

Meanwhile officers of

(

Covering the fortified area of

the I'm ploughing," so the cameramen the island the aircraft dropped Spec al Branch of Scotland Yard staggered over the rough plough- of the enemy to his orginal posi sticks of high explosive bombs throughout yesterday were checked field and MacLean, greatly tion in the Sollum area, were

mixed with ing all callers at the hospital announced in a G.H.Q. communi- Columns of smoki

dust und debris que in Cairo yesterday.

of shattered where Iless is detained. A mili-, amused, said to his horse: "You and tary guard has also been posted can think a lot more of yourself' The communique says: Tobruk buildings rose immediately

to-day, Silver." during a limited offensive opera-spread over the ground to obscure at the gates and only authorised allowed to persons are being the cliffs.

tion carried out by our troops from Tobruk two German medium tanks were captured and many casualties inflicted on the enemy. In the Sollum area the. chemy has again withdrawn to his ori- ginal position south and west of Sollum, where he is being con- tinuously harassed. by our mechanised patrols.

In Abyssinia

1.

road

In Abyssinia, despite obstruction and other physical dimculties our two forces con- verging on Amba Alagì are mak ing satisfactory progress.

The pilot who led the attack said: "It was a perfect theore-

pass.

A horde of newsreel men yes- tical rald carried out in practice, terday descended upon MacLean,

Scottish ploughman who We came in at exactly the the right spot after more than two captured Hess, and begged him to

re-enact his part in the affair,

hours' flying.

MacLean declared: "I'm noo wanting to be a film star-I've

"Below us we saw the targets as we had seen them on photo- no time to go to the pictures.". graphs in the briefing room.”

When the newsreel men said they would come back later, Mac- During the attack the front and Lean replied "It will need to be. rear gunners, poured bullets into, later. A ploughman's work is the streets and naval barracks. never done."

M

A German flying · boat” which

In the lakes area south of appeared above, the British air- Addie Ababa a further, adcoess Proft was also machine-gunned. has been gained by the cap-British Wireless.

More Trouble

In response to their entreaties he said: "You can take me while

When the photographers had- finished, MacLean told them: "You people coming up here and keeping me off my work, have been more

trouble than the German was."Reuter.

REFUGEES FROM

BALKANS IN INDIA

The Government. of the United Provinces (shys · Router from Nainital) is arranging for accom- modation in Nainital för about 60 refugees from the Balkans who recently arrived in India.

re-

Questioned in the Commons by | Mr 1. C. Hannah (Cons) on what

action he had taken with ference to the declaration by the chairman of the Pelping Peoples Anti-British Association, that o

leniency should be shown any- body openly selling British goods, the Foreign Secretory said

he had called for a report

and

would then consider what action

may be appropriate.-Reuter.

TEN THOUSAND

THRILLS!

Hundreds of jungle man- eaters...bartling to the death in natura's arena!

ZANZIBAR

P..

with

LOLA LANE JAMES CRAIG Eduardo Cionnel; Samuel 5. Hinds Tom fudden Clariace Muse

AT THE

SATURDAY

CATHAY

FIRST RUN PICTURE AT POPULAR PRICES1