1941-05-15 — Page 35

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THE CHINA MAIL, MAY 15, 1941.

Ulbrary, Supadio Court

Page: 3

Shuttlecock

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.

a

Sua

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.tion, Prisoners taken number 500 with two batteries

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

The temperatures have again shot upward in North Africa and! with continued blazing widespread operation become dit- ficult Mitary vincle, are col fident, however, that ty11;{༣༠༣༽ tactics the enemy chancrass these Our troops have also occupied will be comtered by equally Algs, an important post north of vigorous assaults by the

British Yavello, while on the Neghelli- Imperial forces.

Dalle road the pursuit enemy is continuing

thei

of the

tc

of congratulation Raschid Ali in connection with his anti-British

movement.

Only prominent Iraqi person- Reuter's special correspondent

ality who has expressd sympathy with a mobile patrol in

IN AN ACTION ON MONDAY) with the movement is Na Suwaidi, Western Desert says that not i WITH THE ENEMY REAR- brother of the ex-Foreign Min- only arc the Gormans being¦ GUARD, WHICH WAS DRIVEN ister, Tewtik Suwaidi. All others; held on the whole of the 50. BACK WITH HEAVY LOSSES, abstained. mile front, some 40 miles inside OUR TROOPS CAPTURED OVER the Egyptian border, but recon.

100 PRISONERS.

naissance 'planos reported yco terday morning that one or two of the five columns appear to bej - withdrawing.

This may mean they have had to abandon the intention of thrusting along the roust simul taneously with an attempt to cut off the Allied forces by a south- ward sweep across the desert

At the moment

In Iraq the situation is quiet. Reuter.

Hess Again!

(SPECIAL TO "CHINA MAIL")

sup-

been known 15.

Ranchid All's closcat to have porters appear drawn from a litt.e clique of malcontents and triguers.

It is recalled that Raschid Ali Imself spent a year in confine- ment in 1936 and afterwards Authoritative eireles in Cairo went to Berlin for medical treat- believe that Rudolf Hess might ment. Reuter. is stid not, reveal information regarding Axis clear whether this attack Is A troop dispositions in the Western Jull-scate effort or only a big Desert. rand intended to test the strength' of the Albed force and positions !

Hesitant Standstill

The theory is supported by the] fact that the German five-pronged attack in the desert was launched | without aircraft, an extraordinary Soon after pushing forward at departure from traditional sunrise on Monday the Germans, ground and air blitz tactics, and burt Albed advanced delenstye, without supply columus. - Inter-

Screens and artillery she led the national News Service. clouds of swirling dust which

marked the positions of the ad- vancing German eight-wheeled

armoured cars and tanks.

This brought them to a hesitant standstill.

While they were trying un- successfully to fecl

В way through the Allied positions, fighter planes suddenly swoop- ed down on them from the sun, sanding them scurrying in alt directions.

First Action

Nuzi

In order to overcome the perils of Naz! fire bomba every able bodied man between 16 and 60 not already engaged on civil defence, is now llable to immediate call-up in the new fire-fight- ing service. For the first time in British history civilians 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

DAMAGING HESS REVELATIONS

(Copyright,

PEIPING

BOYCOTT

Questioned in the Commons by

re-

Mr I. C. Hannah (Cons) on what action he had taken with ference to the declaration by the chairman of the Peiping People's that no Anti-British Association.

ATTACK IN LINE ABREAST hallucinations; according to the Berlin cor

THE LETTER LEFT behind in Germany by leniency should be shown any- Rudolf Hess contains no sign that the Nazi Deputy Fuehrer deserted in consequence of

Aircraft of the Bomber

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- over the desert swallowed tacked in line abreast at these operations South 150 feet, states the African Air Force units were in Ministry news service.

armoured cars and tanks.

In

→

Reuter.

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

Limited Offensive

A limited offensive operation from Tobruk and the withdrawal of the enemy to his original posi- tion in the Sollum area, were announced in a G.H.Q. coinmuni- que in Cairo yesterday.

The communique says: Tobruk during a limited offensive opera: tion carried out by our troops from Tobruk two German_medium tanks were captured and casualties inflicted on the enemy.. In the Sollum area the enemy: has again withdrawn to his ori- ginal position south and west of│ Sollum, where he is being con- *tinuously harassed mechanised patrols.

In Abyssinia

many

by our

Air

Before the defences could open

up the pilots had seen their tar-

Lets 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

"

body openly selling British goods. the Foreign Secretary said he had called for a report and would then consider what action may be appropriate.-Reuter.

Covering the fortified area of

the I'm ploughing," so the cumeramen the island the aircraft dropped Spec al Branch of Scotland Yard staggered over the rough ploughs. sticks of high explosive bombs. throughout yesterday were checked field and MacLean, greatly

mixed with ing all callers at the hospital

amused, said to his horse: "You fi Columns of smoke dust and

A mili- debris of shattered where Hess is detained.

and tery guard has also been posted can think a lot more of yourself! buildings rose inmediately

to-day,--Silver." spread over the ground to obscure at the gates and only authorised!

allowed are being

the cliffs.

persons

pass.

Lo

The pilot who led the attack

A horde of newsreel men yes- said: "It was a perfect theore. floal raid 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 hours' flying.

re-enact his part in the affair..

"Below us we saw the targets as we had seen them on photo- graphs in the briefing room."

MacLean declared: "I'm B00 wanting to be a film star-I've no time to go to the pictures."

When the newsréel men sald they would come back later, Mac- In Abyssinia,

During the attack the front and, Lean replied "It will need to be .. road obstruction and other physical rear gunners poured bullets into later. A ploughman's work is difficulties, our..two forces con- the streets and naval barracks. verging on Amba Alagi are mak-

despite

7

never done.".

ing satisfactory, progress.

A German flying boat which More Trouble........ "In the lakes area south of appeared above the British air- Addis Ababa a further success craft was also machine-gunned- In response to their entreaties haa boon gained by the cap-| British Wireless.

The said: "You can take me while

had.

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

trouble..... than German was."-Reuter.

been more.

the

REFUGEES FROM

BALKANS IN INDIA

The Government of the United Provinces (says Reuter from Nainital) is arranging for accom- modation in Nainital for about 60. refugees from the Balkans who recently arrived in India:

TEN THOUSAND

THRILLS!

Hundreds of pungle man- eaters... buttling to the death in nuture's areno

ZANZIBAR

AT.

with

LOLA LANE JAMES CRAIG

+

Eduardo Cinnnelli · Semuel 5. Hinds

Tom i 2 kden • Churonte Muse ;,

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