H.Z.E.F. IN USING DEADLY 6-POUNDERS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 166, 16 July 1942, Page 5

H.Z.E.F. IN USING DEADLY 6-POUNDERS

STOPPING ROMMEL Cooks Leave Kitchens For Battle Line U.P.A. and British Wireless. Rec. 1.30 p.m. LONDON, July 15. "Our cooking has gone to the bad —the cooks are too keen on shooting." The Evening Standard correspondent at Cairo says he got this greeting from the brigadier at a New Zealand brigade headquarters in the desert. The brigadier added: "The kitchen staff is now attached to one of our batteries, so they no longer bother about what we eat. We came here at top speed, bringing our own guns and vehicles, but we were issued with new weapons while the first fighting was on. None of our chaps had used the six-pounder anti-tank gun before. We got them when we were actually contacting the enemy, but the boys handled them as though trained to them for months. "You will probably hear lots of stories about the batteries in first and using six-pounders getting tanks with the third, second and even the first shot. Those cooks are 'tigers.' They went off with the six-pounder, taught themselves how to use it, and between them they destroyed two tanks and a number of vehicles. It is a great gun and one of the reasons why Rommel has been stopped." ' Allied Air Sweeps British air activity in the North African battle area and over Malta is outlined in the Middle East Air Ministry news service. Strenuous attacks were made by the enemy to land forces throughout Tuesday when fighter-bombers not only broke the previous day's record for the number of sorties, but also did impressive damage. Day bombers scored at least six direct hits on enemy vehicles, one of which blew up. Fighter-bomber pilots observed ten direct hits on other vehicles. Another attack was made on a convoy of large troop-carrying vehicles, from which all the troops fled on the approach of the British planes. A group consisting of one tank, two armoured and 12 motor vehicles was also attacked. Only one vehicle survived destruction or severe damage. Another target was a formation of tanks and armoured cars. Six tanks and two armoured cars received direct hits. 4 The Luftwaffe attempted several times to interfere, but was engaged either by fighter escorts or by patrolling fighter squadrons. The fighter-bombers destroyed one Messerschmitt 109 and the fighters shot down three of the same tvpe and one Caproni 42. Several other enemy aircraft were damaged. On Sunday night heavy and medium bombers raided Bengasi and Tobruk. The United States Army Air Corps participated in the Bengasi attack, where a large ship was set on fire. Fires were also started at Tobruk where another ship was claimed to be hit. Naval aircraft on the same night bombed enemy tanks and concentrations of transport in the battle area, starting fires ans blowing up vehicles. Three enemy machines were destroyed and others damaged when Spitfires intercepted a raid on Malta on Tuesday. British fighters In a low-level attack on small enemy naval craft in the Mediterranean on Monday night scored many hits with cannon and machine-gun fire. Ten British aircraft are missing from all these operations, but one pilot is safe.