ALAMEIN TO TRIPOLI

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 218, 10 June 1943, Page 4

ALAMEIN TO TRIPOLI

New Zealander’s Stories Of The Drive HALFYAH AND AFTER Though he would not say much about the action at Halfyah Pass in which he won his decoration, Sergeant F. W. Ellery, M.M., who hails from North Auckland, had some interesting stories to tell of the drive from El Alamein to Tripoli when he was interviewed as one of a party of sick and wounded who have returned to the Dominion’ from the Middle East. A member of the 21st Battalion, Sergeant Ellery was in the drive from start to finish. His most vehement remarks'concerned the work of the R.A.F. in the breakthrough and after. “They saved hundreds of lives,” he said, “and you can't’say too much about them. They did a wonderful job. When we were bn our way to the frontier, the day before we got to Hellfire ’ I saw the results of some of their work. The road was blocked with abandoned, burnt-out, smashed vehicles. It was not bo much the effect of bombs as of accurate machinegun strafing. “When talking of the state of the town of Tripoli, too, Sergeant Ellery gave high praise to the R.A.F. Tripoli was fairly knocked about, he said, but it was the harbour and harbour area which got it worst, and they had done another fine job there. ' , “We had advanced, driving the enemy back about 20 to 30 miles the day before we got to the frontier,” said Sergeant Ellerv when he was persuaded to tell of the italfyah action. “About 1.30 a.m. we got the order to bed down. We 'were too tired to make a brew, even if we had been allowed to have a light to heat water. We just bedded down, looking forward to a night’s rest. At 3.30 a.m. we were roused and given the order ‘Prepare for action.' We were taken in trucks to the foot of the pass, which the Axis troops had held against an attack by English troops the night before. The 21st were given the order to clear the way through. Two companies, about 100 or so of us, had the job of going in in the dawn attack on. the ‘Eyeties’ and Germans —mostly Eyeties. “W dismounted from our lorries at the foot of the pass and marched to the top, and it was a stiff climb, too. It was mostly bluff in the attack. According to captured records about 1600 Axis troops had been left to hold the pass. Our companies came out with 123 prisoners and the casualties on our side were very light. We gave them no time to recover from the surprise. About the same time the Maoris, who were brigaded with us, went into Solium and came out with another 100 to 150 prisoners.” Then came the phase of the battle in which the sergeant won his decoration. All that he would say about it was that he and two men of his section captured 150 prisoners. Following the capture of the pass, the armoured forces drove through into Libya, picking up, a few miles ahead, the residue of the 1600 garrison who were trying to get away. Sergeant Ellery’s unit went on to Bardia, where they “rested” for three weeks repairing roads. The 21st Battalion was again in action in the “left hook” move which outflanked Rommel and forced him to abandon the El Agheila position. Of that action, Sergeant Ellery says that had we been able to get “our heavy stuff’ round with, the infantry who got behind the enemy it might have meant the finish of the Afrika Korps, though there would undoubtedly have been very heavy fighting. As it was, he said, the infantry gave the enemy a mauling,.but had to get out again pretty quickly. . “The Kiwis were very disappointed with Tripoli,” he said. “From Bardia it had been ‘Tripoli or bust,’ and we had talked and heard so much about the place that we probably expected, too much.” Sergeant Ellery was in the parade of the New Zealand Division which was inspected: and addressed by Mr. Winston Churchill just after the Casablanca conference, and said the men were very taken with him. “You often have to listen to speeches, hnd they are generally a lot of guff,” Sergeant Ellery commented, “but everything Mr. Churchill said was to the point. He spoke a little haltingly, perhaps, but that seems-to be his way. He went down very well with the Kiwis.” Sergeant Ellery, who before the war had a farm at Tauranga, will be going to his home in the next day or so. Ho sold the farm shortly after the outbreak of war before joining up. but hopes to begin again now he is back.