EGYPT'S STAND.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 223, 19 September 1940, Page 7

EGYPT'S STAND.

CERTAINLY FIGHT.

Full Of Confidence In Their Leaders. United Press Association.—Copyright. LONDON, Sept. 18. The official British spokesman at Cairo said: "We are not defending the long desert line from Solium, bat we shall certainly defend Egypt proper, namely, the Delta and the Nile Valley. "Between these extremes liee oar course of action which is directed, not to the occupation or retention of this or that area, but to the destruction of the enemy's forces. Territorial readjustments will follow naturally when this is achieved, as it will be." Egypt's army of 30.000 men will unquestionably fight at the appropriate time, says the Cairo correspondent of "The Timee." Already the native army is carrying out manoeuvres outside ?airo and in the desert. Long convoys of the Egyptian Army , * camouflaged trucks, Bren gun carriers and artillery have been filing across the capital. Their equipment is superior to anything yet captured from the Italians. Volunteers and civil guards have taken over security jobs in Cairo and Alexandria. Regular Egyptian troops guard the Nile bridges and Egyptians man anti-aircraft guns and searchlights around the two cities. Egyptians and Sudanese man the frontier observation posts. Native A.-A. Units' Success. Native anti-aircraft units at Alexandria have been signally successful in repulsing 75 Italian raids which have killed 10 and wounded 40 civilians. The Italians have repeatedly missed their objective, which is the BritishTFleet. The Commander-in -Chief of the Egyptian territorial army, forecasting increasingly powerful forces, said: "We can train *200.000 men annually." The leading Arabic newspaper, "Alahram," says: "Egyptians are full of confidence in their leaders and await patiently the outcome of their discussions, but they earnestly hope that they will not have to wait too long."

-All the newspapers are most friendly toward Britain, and Italian propaganda articles have entirely disappeared.

The Egyptian War Minister. Mahmud Fahmy el Klssy, has already begun discussions with senior British and Ejryptian military officers regarding the role the Egyptian Army is to play in view of the Italian invasion.

FOUR ITALIANS DOWN. Three Land In Sea Off Turkish Coast. AFTER RAID ON TEL-AVIV. (Reed. 2 p.m.) ANGORA. Sept. 18. Four Italian bomber*, returning from a raid on Tel-Aviv, made forced landings on the Turkish coast on September 9. One nosedived into the sea and was not seen again. Two floated for three hoars. Six members of the crew are believed drowned. An Italian red cross 'plane rescued the remainder.

The engine of the fourth 'plane cut out as a result of the failure of the lubricating system, but the "plane made a good landing , .