1941-04-03 — Page 13

Thursday,

HONGKONG TELEGRAPH

Signals And Sappers Prominent British

In Capture Of Asmara

"("Reuter's". Correspondent In Eritrea)

ASMARA, Apr. 2-It took three months of the fiercest fighting of the war in Africa to reach Asmara, the capital of Italy's oldest colony. The city stands on a great. 7,000-feet high plateau protected on all sides by diminishing ranges of hills. Our troops advanced more than 250 miles across country designed for defence, stub- bornly pushing back an enemy of more than twice their number. ·

Tho Italians had the ad-p vantage, through native troops used to the country. They are renowned fighters but their spirit was broken at Keren, and at Asmara the Italian High Command appeared to pin its faith on tho crack Savoy Grenadiers and other white troops freshly brought from Addis Ababa but these quickly crumpled before the dash and dotermination of our forces.

Tho Eritrean campaign hos virtually terminated before the rains come and the tremendous energy of the General Commanding the opera- tions who, although he drove the troops hard, never found the response Jucking,

For the greater part of the time. our men were fighting on the tops of steep hills two, three or four thousand feet high, yet they were alwayя plentifully supplied with water. All whom I asked said that the rations were astonishingly good.

The Signal Corps performed extra- ordinary feats throughout the cam- paign. During the Battle of Keren alore they laid 300 miles of wire, keeping it in order over ground con- stantly swept by machine-gun fre and mortars.

The Sappers also were unusually prominent since the rapid advance depended upon the speed with which they cleared the numerous blocks in the road. At all but one of these blocks they had to work under Are, yet they cleared, them within 12 hours.

Battalion Destroyed

A

fourth In breaking through the rond block encountered; nur troops destroyed

battalion of Savoy Grenadiers., Seventeen officers and 500 men were captured, including the Colonel, who was found hiding in a ditch.

Over 100 Eritreans were taken. Our armoured vehicles advanced along the road to Asmara. Indian troops ranged over the hills on both sides pushed the Italians off the heights and simultaneously another mobile force, advanced down the rallway six miles to the south.

The enpitulation of the capital' was the sequel.

580 DIVORCES IN

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Decrees granted in 500 matrimonial sults were made absoluté by Mr Jus- tice Henn Collins In the Divorce Court recently in 34 seconds:

SUDAN

BGA

KENYA

Mites

ITALIAN SOMALILAND.

Ready

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British Officers Sent

To Polish Camp

LONDON, Apr. 2 (Reuter).-Seven hundred British officer prisoners of war in Germany have been transferred to camps in Poland possessing inferior amenities on the ground that condi- tions in an officers' prison camp in Canada did not conform to the Prisoners of War Convention.

This was revealed by Mr R. Law, Financial Secretary to the War Office, In the House of Commons to- clay. Mr Law said that enquiries had shown that the allegations regarding the Canadian camp were completely unfounded and that the camp had been favourably reported on by the International Red Cross.

Strong representations, Mr Law added, had been made to the German Government which he hoped would result in the return of the officers to their original camp.

Italian Apologia

+

I admits the losses, which could not be concealed because the survivors of the crews are in British hands, but says nothing about the damage to the Vittorio Veneto which may or may not have got home.

out-

Indeed it conveniently overlooks the presence of

of this fast super- battleship and two other battleships of the Cavour class, and only socals of light units which

were sunned by heavy but much slower craft. It somewhat lamely attempts to make capital out of the fact that they did not use their superior speed.

of reasons

A21 important character," which are not specified, the but there is silence regarding British claim that they were famed by the British torpedo attacks from

BY "REUTER'S” DIPLOMATIC

CORRESPONDENT) LONDON, Apr. 2-The apologia Issued by the Italian authorities explained away the crushing defeat of the Italian Navy off Cape Matapan | the air. Is a naive document which shows how completely the Italians are de- celving or attempting to deceive tliemselves.

The statement also passes over in silence the fact that German aircraft fired upon the British vessels engaged

n. rescue work.

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April 3, 1941,

Officers Describe Great

Naval Victory

("Reuter" With Mediterranean Fleet) ALEXANDRIA, Apr. 2 (Reuter).-Eye-witness stories of the great Mediterranean battle were given "Reuter" to-day by officers in the battleships Barham and Valiant and the cruiser Gloucester.

These made clear that the our battleships nipped in the

lightning broadsides from

bud any hopes the Italians may have had of hitting

back. The Italian cruisers,

IMPERIAL

COUNCIL OF WAR

No Necessity Yet

Zara and. Fiume, received

LONDON, Apr. 2 (Reuter).— broadsides from the Barham The formation of an Imperial and Valiant within a few War Council, consisting of the seconds of sustaining direct Prime Ministers of the United hits from the Warspite.

Kingdom, Northern Ireland, the

Captain G. C. Cooke of the Dominions, Southern Rhodesia or Barham compared the battle- their representatives, a represen- ships which used six-inch as well tative of India and representa- as 15-inch guns to a "team of tives of the colonics and protec- three perfectly trained boxers.torates, was suggested by Lord The Barham's first broadside Elibanks in the House of Lords scored a direct hit under the to-day.

Viscount Cranborne, Secretary of bridge of one cruiser and the State for the Dominions, intimated second caused a series of explo- that the Government opposed the sions.

suggestion as not at present practic- As this cruiser then begon burning fable or possible. He added that there circumstances and were doubtless. stern. the furiously from bow to Barham shifted her fire to the second situations in which a conference of ship in the line which was already Dominion Prime Ministers might be burning. She received a broadside of the utmost value.

A point might be reached in which near the waterline. The fire aboard her became so fierce that a further we might be able to look more into was the future than at present and at target was sought but none found.

...

a

such moment, OTA Imperial Con-

An eye-witness said that the ference might be essential.

In the Government's view, that cruiser's guns remained pointing fore and aft throughout the action. The moment had not yet come but should from the situation alter so as to make it only fre they put up came

conference, Breda guns with tracer shells from possible to have such

the Government would heartily wel anti-aircraft armament.

come it.

Best Night Shoot Ever Commissioned Gunner Edwards of the Barham described the broadsides as the "best night shoot I have ever seen." He told how for many years prac- the British Navy constantly tised night actions.

Captain Cooke spoke in the highest praise of every man in his ship, including the cook, who continued to serve food.

Aboard the Gloucester, I was told

Near East Bombing

South Africans Drive Off Italians

how the Gloucester, Orion, Ajax and Perth contacted the enemy warships

CAIRO, Apr. 2 (Reuter),— throughout last Friday while they endeavoured to lure them in the The bombing of enemy aero- direction of the British Fleet.

"

are

The officers of the Gloucester and dromes in Tripolitania and South Orion testified to the good shooting African Air Force activities in of the Italians, The Gloucester is Eritrea and Abyssinia keeping shell splinters as trophies features of an R.A.F. com- though these did not scratch her munique. paint-work in falling aboard her.

It says that the R.A.F. continues to When the Italians closed in, cu give nctive support to the successful Cruleers were able to reply and several of their salvoes fell operations of our ground forces in

near them

Shortly afterwards the Italian Eritrea. South African aghters Inter- -battleship- Villorio Venoto was talion planes in the Asmara area.

cepted and drove off a number of sighted, approaching full speed with In Southern Abyssinia, South

a tremendous bow wave. All her

our African aircraft attacked enemy com-

guns

were soon cruiser squadron.

trained, on

Crippling Attack

munications and defences and various kinds of transport between Awasli and Adamna.

Motor transport was. alzo bombed and machine-gunned ́at many other places.

After the battleship had been fir- ing for some time, it was noticed that her range was lengthening. This was when torpedo bombers from the

Enemy nerodromes in Tripolitania aircraft-carrier Formidable were making their crippling attack on her were bombed yesterday by our alr-

craft With our battle feet coming up, From all these operations, our air» the four cruisers were again sent craft returned safely with one excep-

head to try and contact the enemy. ilon. They succeeded towards evoning when the Air Arm was carrying out: their dusk attack.

After nightfall our cruisers con- tinued to hunt for the Italian Fleet. Meanwhile our bailleships had got in range of the Zara and Flume which were apparently assisting the atricken cruiser Poln.

Axis Ships

Protest Is Rejected

WASHINGTON, Apr. 2 (Reu-) |ter).—Mr Cordoli Hull, Seere- tary of State, has decided to reject the German and Italian demands for the release of seized Axis ships, it is understood.

Asked at a press conference whether there was any present Inten- tion of releasing the ships as demand- ed by the Axis protest Note, Mr Hull said

that he had not heard of it in Government quarters.

the.

When the United States replied to protests, he added, the State De-- partment would probably take up with the Italian and German Embas sies the question of publishing cor resp

Action In 1915 LONDON, Apr. 2 (Iteuter)The right of the United States under International Iow to requlaltion 28 Italian, two German and 39 Danish ships

of which the authorities took charge on Sunday, was maintained by Professor Goodhart, an authority on international law, Broadcasting to

night in the B.B.C. home nows.

Every nation has the right, if it in In pressing nood of ships, he said, to requisition foreign vessels in

its tor ritorial 1 waters, subject to payment of fair compensation.

Italy in 1918 seized 87 German ships, although the countries were

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