"REAL PARADISE"

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 169, 20 July 1942, Page 3

"REAL PARADISE"

CAPTURED ITALIANS Mussolini Not Expected Near The Front Line (N.Z.E.F. Official War Correspondent) WESTERN DESERT, July 17. "Un vero paradiso"—in English, real paradise. That was one of the Italian prisoners descriptions of captivity after the battle with the New Zealanders on Ruweisat Ridge.

"Now that the song of your artillery is ended, life for me is real paradise," were his words. With few exceptions, the Italian prisoners at New Zealand Headquarters are cheerfully enthusiastic over their capture. Some are even cynical when reference is made to the reported visit of Mussoline to North Africa.

"We don't expect to see him near the front line," one Italian commented. All the Italians had high regard for the New Zealand 25pounder artillery fire, which several called "The song of the 88-milli-metres."

Relations between the Italian and German prisoners from the 15 th Panzer Division (heavy ack-ack battalion) are extremely hostile. The Germans, many of whom had been flown to Libya for this campaign, made strong requests not to be put vjith the Italians. A few Germans had fought against the New Zealand brigades in the battles of Sidi Rezegh and Belhamid last winter. The ack-ack gunners spoke of the accuracy of the R.A.F. bombing.

The utter confusion which the New Zealanders found in the Italian lines from which the prisoners were taken on Ruweisat Ridge, was described to me to-day. Over three or four miles between our line and the next high ridge the ground was crowded with Italians. Many of them were unarmed and were milling about waiting to be captured.