DESERT AMBUSH

Hokitika Guardian, 20 December 1929, Page 7

DESERT AMBUSH

RABAT, AIOROCCO, Oct 18. Reports have just been received that fifty Foreign Legionaries and 'French native levies have l>een killed or wounded in a desperate four hours ■battle with a rebel force which entered South Algerian territory last Monday. The rebel tribesmen were finally beaten off, leaving many dead cn the field. They are being pursued by Aloroccan detachments, which have already recovered all the booty taken by the rebels. DEADLY RIFLE FIIRE. The story of the battle is another epic of the famous Foreign Legion. A detachment had approached a defile' to the south of the French post of Aleridja, when they fell into an ambush. The rebels, belonging to the Ait Hammou tribe, who have already ambushed other French columns, suddenly opened a murderous rifle fire from their invisible positions among the rocks. The majority'of the French column was wiped out, hut the handful of survivors faced the enemy with customary heroism. They would undoubtedly have been massacred had not an aeroplane which was making observations in the mountains notified another column of the desperate situation of their comrades.

ONLY SIX LEFT. The second detachment hurried to the. scene Iby forced marches. AA’hen it reached the spot all lint six men of the 60 strong column of the Legion had been either killed or wounded. On the arrival of the second column the tribesmen were put to flight. The wounded were sent back to Colonibaeehar by caterpillar cars.