Raiding British Troop Strike In Lightning Attack

Taranaki Daily News, 31 August 1942, Page 4

Raiding British Troop Strike In Lightning Attack

N.Z.E.F. Official War Correspondent. Rec. 7.30 p.m. Western Desert, Aug. 29. | Raiding British troops struck at the enemy last night. In a lightning attack the raiding party invaded the enemy 's lines with powerful artillery suppopt and inflicted casualties. Our casualties were very light. The attack last night took place in the short time between the fall of darkness and the rising of the moon. The artillery's barrage made an Smazing spectacle. The sky behind our forward positions was lit to incredible brilliance by flash upon flash of gunfire, while opposite, where shells were falling, it was like a violently erupting volcano. The enemy was quick to retaliate, and blazed away without pause for a full hour. Flares shot up from the enemy's lines and a vicious chatter of automatic weapons broke out from all directions. Our troops met with stubborn resistance from the Germans in weapon pits, but before the withdrawal had silenced a number of these and demolished machine-gun posts. The artillery during j this time shelled the enemy's positions at greater depth. The whole operation was done in quick time, with every ph'ase exact to the minute.