1941-08-08 — Page 18

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THE CHINA MAIL, AUGUST 8, 1941.

Initiative In Middle East Passes Entirely To

AXIS FEARS CZECHS

AN EARLY OFFENSIVE

GAIN NEW COURAGE

+

THE BRITISH, AMERICAN AND RUSSIAN RECOGNITION OF CZECHOSLOVAKIA HAS GIVEN CZECHS NEW COURAGE

18 SHOWN IN WHICH

THE EVER-INCREASING SABOTAGE AL- ARMS FACTORIES, THOUGH THE VIGILANT GES. TAPO IS THREATENING DEATH FOR

SABOTAGE NEGLIGENCE.

THE INITIATIVE in the Western Desert has now passed into British hands completely, IN it was stated in authoritative quarters in Lon- don yesterday.

The Axis powers, instead of threatening an attack on Egypt, are talking nervously of the possibility of the British attacking Libya, Sicily and the Greek islands.

that the recent}

It was stated

Hitler's armies on the Smolensk British offensive on the Sollum front are more or less stullonary. front took such toll of Germani armoured fighting vehicles as to rule

the out 112 offensive by Nazis on that front in the near future, even

were possible while Tobruk is still holding out.

The British invasion of Syria finally wrecked Hitler's whole Middle East plans and put an end

to the northern prong of his

altack two-pronged through Libya and Cyrenaica,

on

one

hand, and through the Balkans on the other.

Italian resistance int East Africa is now limited to the Gon- dur and Wolcheft: pockets.

Gondar is estimated to have about 3,000 white Italian troops. and 6,000 natives, and Wolchet a similar number of white troups and 1,000 natives.

Surrounded

This is causing Britain to keep some troops in! East Africa to mop up the enemy but the enemy surrounded and unable to get supplies, would eventually fall into British hands.

The Nazia are progressing in the Ukraine in a south-easterly and if the thrust direction there gains any considerabis success, they might be able to get to the Caucasus and so to. wards the British Middle East positions.

The Russian army in Siberia is very strong being composed of the most highly-trained and best- equipped Soviet troops. It proved itself superior in

frontier the Japanese. with the

clashes

Reuter.

DOUBLY MIRACULOUS

OR

Silent demonstrations take place

day in Prague outside the form-

er Russian Legation.

It is learned in Ankara

from

Bratislava that the Slovaks wel-

comed the recognition of Czecho- slovakia as nearly all Slovaks, want to bre Czechoslovakia res- tored.

ROOSEVELT

PROPOSAL APPROVED

The U.S. Senate yesterday approved keeping conscripts in service for 18 months beyond the present active service periods, Reuter from says

Washington.

CHINESE VICTORY

Cairo

bitter

to

the and

AT ICHANG

:

are very Slovak troops because they are being forced

Russia and, fight

when in front line, hasten to desert join their brother Slavs.-Reuter,

INDIANS

IN ACTION

STRIPPING THE FRENCH RAILWAYS

Details about the mass seizure of French rolling stock found 'by the Allies among secret Vichy docu- ments in Syria show how desperate are the needs of the German State Rail- way.

re-

To remedy this shortage, which is more deeply felt every month, French rolling stock was looted immediately after the armistice..

By August 4, 1940, there mained 375,000 carriages of the 450,000 existing in September, this 1989. By the beginning of year only 250,000 carriages were left to France-just over the French stock prior armistice and far below France's vital needs.

Lorries and motor cars

half

to the

were

taken by the thousands but the AFTER- DESPERATE FIGHT- Germans

have been specially ING THE JAPANESE COLUMNS strict about milltary transport of HAVE BEEN DRIVEN BACK, all kinds.

1,700 DEAD | LEAVING

NEAR

As regards caterpillar vehicles, WALLED CITY OF THE

official a Vichy

"bulletin" of ICHANG, THE CHINESE MILI- February 15. 1941, reads: "Ger- SAID IN man demands in this field reach TARY SPOKESMAN

the limit. CHUNGKING.

"Arguing that it captured its rights to obtain

have

The Japanese forces

in

the Commission

was

inore

within dis-

INDIAN TROOPS HAVE BEEN! ACTIVE IN THE WESTERN DE-

The Chinese SERT NEAR THE SPOT WHERE THE FOURTH INDIAN DIVI-large quantities of arms and suparmament guarantees in order to SION COVERED ITSELF WITH ples.

proceed with the War against German Armistice Britain, the |GLORY LAST WINTER, SAYS!

delivery requested AN INDIAN ARMY OBSERVER IN THE MIDDLE EAST IN A vicinity of Ichang have launched of all caterpiller vehicles which DESPATCH RECEIVED IN SIM-three unsuccessful attacks recent-up to then were only kept in LA YESTERDAY.

ly to disperse the Chinese con- stock, ammunition carriers

trucks." The brigadier commanding the centrations, the spokesman added. tank-currler newly-arrived troops offered a re--Reuter. ward of a bottle of champagne for the first German brought in dead or alive.

COMMENTING ON WEDNES-

The prize was won by Mahrattas DAY'S GERMAN SPECIAL COM- within 48 hours. An enemy car, MUNIQUE THE SWISS PAPER whose driver had apparently lost "NEUE ZUERCHER NACHRICH-his sense of direction, swept past TEN" WHITES:

a Mahratta post and at once was captured.--Reuter.

corres-

given "If the figures All possible troops have been pond to the truth it appears doub- shifted to other parts of the Mid-ly miraculous that the Red Army d'e East, and the British have had is fighting just the same without to block the territory linking sten of exhaustion, and is even Egypt with Turkey, safeguarding hitting back." Cyprus and shielding Iraq.

of

U.S. NOT SATISFIED

des-

The Berlin correspondent

"Gazette de Lausanne" Although the German advance the

that the in Russia is held and has slowed writes: "It is natural

Mr. Cordell Hull, U.S., Secretary down everywhere, the Nazis still special communique should raise

these long of State, told his press conference hold the initiative but undoubted- public morale after

but for our yesterday that the Note from ly the German 1ligh Command is' weeks of silence

WE substantially along disappointed ut the slowness of part we have not observed any France the advance and the heavy losses. new fact in these military state the lines reported in press

ments which, however, officially patches from Vichy. confirmed

Army's the Russian

Asked whether the new assur- of importance and power

re-ances were satisfactory, Mr. Hull which nobody dared

said he still wished to know more about what was happening in Vichy.

Mr. Hull Indicated that the Vichy Note might be published later.

Russian Situation

Latest reports indicate no great, sistance, change in the Russian situation. predict."--Reuter.

Maizee's Ltd.

Alexandra Building

Wish to announce that owing to

shop and showroom alterations their premises will be closed for business from Wednesday, August

6 to Monday, August 11.

S□ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □

Wireless.

and British

SHARP CLASH

CLASH ON FRINGES OF TOBRUK

EXTRAVAGANT CLAIMS ^made in the Italian communique in regard to an attack by British troops on enemy positions in the salient at Tobruk were refuted by authorita- tive quarters in London yesterday.

It is stated enemy casualties were heavy His remarks led some observers although a correct estimate is impossible. in Washington to infer that the

Note in itself has failed to satisfy British casualties were 28 kill DLE EAST COMMUNIQUE «IN the U.S. Government entirely re-ed, 104 wounded and eight miss- CAIRO, garding the defence of Frenching. Africa and other military bases and concessions Reuter,

RUSSO-BELGIAN RELATIONS

7

Arrangements have been made for an exchange of representa- tives between the Governments of Soviet Russia and Belgium following a meeting yesterday of the Belgian Foreign Minister, M. Paul Spaak, and the Russian Ant- bassador to Britain, M. Ivan Maisky,

The communique stated, 'Libya extremely heavy dust Heavy fighting took place round storms have temporarily ited a post on the enemy's left flank, the activities of our raiding per—- where 28 of the enemy were ties in the Tobruk area but under- killed...

|cover of the dust one of our fight,. ing patrols attacked an enemy The British troops, after flerce post, inflicting casualties and capri fighting, entered a post on the turing prisoners and weaponster enemy's right flank.

"In the frontler area our artif lery and machine-guns engaged The enemy, then put down the enemy and one of our patrols very heavy-mortar and mas surprising a small enemy column, chine gun. barrage, causing took a prisoner."--Reuter.

• many casualties to their own] troops as well as the British..

After dark information was CHARGE CONDEMNED

received that the post on the The meeting took place at the enemy's left flank had been cap- Secretary of State's room at the tured and held by two officers Foreign Office.-Reuter,

CANDID CONFESSION

A commentator on yesterday's special communique of the Ger man High Command 'sald over the German, radio last night: "The annihilating battle against the strongly armed Soviet forces is not, however, yet over,

"The most appallingly technical and 17 men, including eight bad- charge of manslaughter it has ever ly wounded. They had eight, been my misfortune to try," was

the comment of Mr. Justice Char Gorman, prisoners..

les at Leeds Assizes. Stanley Strong

Infantry parties were. Myrtle Holmes, 19, a gardener, sent over to relieve the post but Little-thorpe, near Ripon, i was they were delayed, by fre, and found not guilty and acquitted meanwhile, the enemy attacked after being accused of the man-;

slaughter of Joseph Harold. Re and overpowered the garrison,

nolds, a 13-year-old schoolboy, Reuter,

Allcey Road, Ripon. -

Dust Storms

Holmes was alleged to have accidentally shot Reynolds LIMITED poaching rabbits. The prosecu ACTIVITIES IN LIBYA ON tion submitted that if death was the now greatly harassed Soviet WEDNESDAY, ACCORDING TO caused during an unlawful act

YESTERDAY'S BRITISH "MID" was manslaughter! forces." Reuter,

"The new phase of the operations now in progress shows how great DUST STORMS. stilf is the power of resistance of