RELIEVED WHEN CAPTURED

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 16, 20 October 1942, Page 6

RELIEVED WHEN CAPTURED

ITALIAN PRISONERS

'"Un vera Paradisio" —a real Paradisc —was one Italian prisoner's description of captivity after fighting against the New Zealanders on Ruweisat Ridge. "Now that the song of your artillery is ended, life, for me, is a real Paradise*' were his words. With few exceptions 500 Italian prisoners from the Brescia Division were, cheerfully enthusiastic over their capture. Some of them were even cynical., when reference was made to the reported visit of Mussolini to North Africa. "We don't expect to see him near the front line." one Italian commented. All the Italians have a great deal of respect for the New Zealand twenty-five pounder artillery fire. Relations between the Italians and German prisoners, from the 15th Panzer Division's heavy' ack-ack battalion were very hostile. The Germans, many of whom had been i flown to Libya for this campaign, made strong requests not to be put with Italians. A few of the Germans had fought against the New Zealanders in the battle 1 for Sidi Resegh and Bel Hamid last winter. They praised the fighting qualities of the New Zealanders in both campaigns. The German ack-ack gunners also spoke of the accuracy of the R.A.F. bombing. The utter confusion in which the New Zealanders found the Italian lines from which they took 1,(300 prisoners on. Ruweisat Ridge was described to me by an intelligence officer from one of our attacking formation. "For over three or four miles between our lines and the next high ground, hundreds of Italians, many of them unarmed, were milling about waiting to be captured," he said. "In one truck I found fourteen Italian officers four of them of high rank, sitting ready to be taken."