ATTACK ON EGYPT

Evening Star, Issue 23682, 16 September 1940, Page 5

ATTACK ON EGYPT

EXPECTED AT ANY TIME BRITISH FORCES FULLY PREPARED ENEMY MOVEMENTS TOWARDS FNONTIER OBSENVED Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright CAIIIO, September 14. A headquarters communique states that an Italian assault may come at any time, although there is no special reason to believe that an attack is imminent. The British forces in Egypt and the Sudan are fully prepared for any developments. Some enemy movements towards tho Libyan frontier have been observed, while similar movements are reported from Kassala, which, it was always expected, the Italians might use as a base for extension and penetration to the Sudan. The moving up of units in Libya may merely be designed to prevent our continued penetration of Italian territory—penetration which can •be described as a “ running sore,” constantly causing enemy casualties in men and material. There is evidence that the Italians are strengthening their posts on the Libyan-Egyptian frontier, but they have not commenced an offensive. In spite of the Italian numerical superiority, the Italian tactics on the Libyan frontier have so far been purely defensive, and all operations have been on the Italian side of tho frontier. ”

BRITISH HARASSING TACTICS. The British forces carried out a number of raids, and while in the northern sector these have gone ouly a short distance into Italian territory, for instance, to Fort Capuzzo, British mobile forces have penetrated more deeply in the southern sector. These harassing tactics on the Italian right flank have, in the view of military observers here, proved a great nuisance to the enemy, and the Italian policy has been gradually to push forward dumps of munitions, food, and water, and to form posts, to defend them. While it may be that one of the objectives is to reoccupy the territory, the enemy’s tactics are also consistent with an ultimate policy of taking the offensive. AIR ACTIVITY. A R.A.F. communique stated that the Boma seaplane base was attacked during a series of raids on Eastern Libya. Bombs fell at the anchorage, and a large fire broke out on the jetty. The fires were visible for 30 miles. After bombing a transport concentration near Sidi Omar, South African units raided Abyssinian aerodromes, starting fires. They also raided Somaliland and Eritrea, scoring a direct hit on a jetty at Aisab, attacked aerodromes at Gura and Asmara, and started fires at Massawa. Sixty-five Italian officers and 415 other ranks arrived at Bombay, where more than 1,000 Italian prisoners of war are interned. “"ENEMY occupies sollum. It is announced in to-day’s Cairo communique that the Italians have occupied the empty village of Solium. Jfc will be recalled that, as long ago as August 3, the Commander-in-Chief of the Middle East, General Sir Archibald Wavell, announced that he had begun to withdraw armoured troops from the Sollum area, and that with the withdrawal a definite phase of the action on the Libyan frontier was over—a phase which had lasted much longer than had been anticipated. Since the Egyptian frontier force withdrew in the first week of the war with Italy so as to avoid involving Egypt in hostilities, the barracks on the escarpment above Sollum have been held by not more than one company of British infantry. Against this the Italians had concentrated two complete divisions, with corps troops and artillery of a third division, Sollum has no national or military importance of any kind, and its little harbour, provided with a rough breakwater, has' not been used or even visited by any war vessel for many years. NO STRATEGIC VALUE. As a civilian centre Sollum possesses few buildings, and its normal population is less than 1,000. As a military base it is ruled out by the fact that it has no- water supply. In the view of military experts its possession will not even facilitate the advance of the Italians along the coast road- leading to Mersa Matruh, for the escarpment on the top of which the barracks stand is virtually precipitous, and- the only routes down it to the coast suitable for motor traffic have been destroyed. It will take a long time to repair them. ITALIAN CLAIMS ROME, September 15. tßeceived September 16, at noon.) A communique states: Italian advance forces crossed the Egyptiau-Cy-renaican border and engaged the enemy in lively combat. Our planes bombed and machine-gunned the enemy from a low altitude. Two Blenheims were shot down. We made a night raid on an arsenal at Valetta and the hydroplane base at Calaframa in Malta, scoring direct hits. We also bombed enemy naval formations in the eastern Mediterranean. Italian planes bombed a 10,000-ton (British cruiser in the Indian Ocean. The cruiser was seen to proceed slowly, listing heavily. The British raided the entire sector between Asmara and Adiugri without result. They dropped incendiary bombs in a plantation, which was slightly damaged.