Has Italy's Big Advance Opened?

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 218, 13 September 1940, Page 7

Has Italy's Big Advance Opened?

REPORT NOT DENIED P/an Of Invasion Of Egypt At Three Points Outlined y (British Official Wireless.—Eec. noon.) RUGBY, September 12. While in the past day or two there have been Italian troop movements in the north of Libya, in the neighbourhood of Capuzzo —movements which were to be expected—no Italian troops as yet have crossed the Egyptian frontier, it is stated in authoritative circles in London to-day. It has been suggested that Italians are forming three armies for the attack on Egypt. According to these reports one is to go along the coast, via Solium, the second to operate north-west towards Wadi Haifa from Kassala, and the third along the Sudan-Egyptian frontier from the neighbourhood of Taheida, which is its base. This army, it is presumed, will attempt to travel straight across 400 or 500 miles of almost waterless desert towards Wadi Haifa, to join with the Kassala avmy. Informed military circles here, while regarding it as quite possible that there might be raids, emphasise that reports of attack coming from this direction with any force which could fairly be described as an army should be treated with reserve. As far as is known there are no German formations supporting the Italian forces in Libya.

According to a cable message, the British United' Press Rome correspondent says informed persons declare that reports that the Italian offensive has begun in Egypt cannot be denied, "but official confirmation must await a communique."

"The Times" says that combined operations by the R.A.F. and the Fleet Air Arm have rendered Tobruk, the Italian port on the Libyan coast, utterly useless for supplying Italian troops and as a base (or submarines and warships. The harbour has been cleared of crowded shipping, including five submarines, of which at least, one was sunk. The harbour is now littered with ships sunk or lying drunkenly on their sides. A Cairo cable message says a R.A.F. communique issued there states: "Our bombers yesterday launched a series of raids against Libya, starting four fires at $nd bombing the landing ground at Derna, bombs falling among aircraft. Two large fires broke out ip the harbour and on the jetty at Derna, and several fires were started at Bardia. "The enemy tried to bomb Mersa Matruh (Egypt). but suffered a high proportion of losses. Four Savoia 'planes were destroyed. "The South African Air Force bombed Sciasciamanna, in central Abyssinia, and destroyed one 'plane and damaged four." A communique issued from Cairo headquarters states: "Khartoum was bombed yesterday. No damage was done and there were no casualties. All is quiet in Kenya. / A later communique, issued in Cairo, says a British official wireless message, states: "On Wednesday Mersa Matruh, in Egypt, was again bombed without any important damage, and only one casualty. Enemy aircraft was active against our forward troops but caused no damage. "Our patrols in Kenya actually engaged the enemy in a northern frontier district oh a 200-mile front between Walquaris and Turbi, and inflicted losses. In the Sudan on Tuesday, in the Kassala area, enemy defences on the west bank of the River uafh were heavily bombed. In Palestine there is nothing to report.