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Albania.
22. There are indications that bad weather, and possibly also some difficulty with local Albanian labour, have seriously interfered with the road-building programme in Albania during the past month.
Egypt and Palestine.
23. The first echelons of the Australian Imperial Force and the New Zealand Expeditionary Force arrived at Suez on the 12th February. Each echelon consists of divisional headquarters, one brigade group, a proportion of divisional troops, and advance parties of later echelons.
The Australians moved into camp in the Gaza-Beersheba area of Palestine and will carry out their training there. The New Zealanders are training in the Cairo area.
The third echelon of the 1st Cavalry Division comprising the 4th Cavalry Brigade and a proportion of divisional troops left the United Kingdom between the 1st and 8th February, and are due at Haifa on or about the 19th February. With the arrival in Palestine of this echelon the division, with the exception of a few details, will have completed its concentration.
Iran.
24. The army peace strength of 9 divisions (112,000 men) is in process of being mobilised and expanded to 12 divisions and 2 cavalry divisions by the 15th April.
20,000 reservists were called up, ostensibly for one month's training, in February. Owing to lack of horses and guns the Army is weak in artillery, and the administrative services are woefully deficient.
North-West Frontier of India.
25. For the last three years lawlessness has prevailed to such an extent in the Bannu district that there is complete disregard of law and order.
One of the contributory causes of the success of the raiding gangs is the presence, a few miles to the north-west of Bannu, of a small but intricate tract of country known as the Ahmedzai Salient. This area affords an ideal refuge for recalcitrant tribesmen, and the Government of India is now initiating military operations to drive them out preparatory to the construction of roads and posts, and the transfer of the area to the civil administration.
Far East.
26. Japanese aircraft are reported to have again bombed the French-owned Haiphong-Yunnan Railway inside Chinese territory.
As a result of a somewhat more reasonable attitude on the part of the local Japanese military authorities, the internal situation at Shanghai seems to have improved vis-à-vis the foreign settlement administration and the puppet régime in control of the district.
AIR SITUATION.
Royal Air Force Operations.
Bomber Command.
27. The unfavourable weather conditions which brought air operations almost to a standstill last week have continued, many aerodromes have been unserviceable and operations generally restricted.
28. Three sweeps have been undertaken over the Western area of the North Sea, by 18 Wellingtons on the 11th February, by 12 Wellingtons on the 13th and by 15 Blenheims on the 14th. No suitable targets were observed on these flights.
29. A Blenheim aircraft was despatched to the Ems Estuary on the 14th February, to investigate a report that enemy destroyers and submarines
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