RAID IN LIBYA

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 October 1940, Page 8

RAID IN LIBYA

SURPRISING THE ENEMY BRITISH REGIMENT’S TASK. HOW PRISONERS WERE CAPTURED. (N.Z.E F. Official News Service). This is an account of a raid that actually occurred on the Libyan frontier on the night of August 22-23, 1940. A battalion of a very famous English regiment received the following orders: “Information respecting the enemy is urgently required. A prisoner will be taken.” The enemy were the Italians and the area from which the prisoner was to be extracted was north of Capuzzo along the road to Bardia. The raiding party consisted of one officer and fourteen other ranks. A New Zealand officer was attached to the regiment at the time and managed to persuade the battalion commander to let him go too. The raid was to be a silent one, there' would be no artillery barrage, no other help. It was expected that they would be able to capture one of the cyclists who had been noticed to travel along the road, or failing a cyclist, a driver of one of the enemy motor vehicles which were known to use this road by night. The preparations for the road were simple enough. Sandshoes were worn instead of the usual heavy military boots. All means of identity were removed from the tunics. Pockets were emptied of any papers which might, in the event of capture, tell the enemy the unit opposite them. Steel helmets, rifles and bayonets, two M.E. rifles and two machine-guns and an anti-tank rifle—these were the armaments. At seven o'clock in the evening the small party paraded. Each man was searched to see that no evidence of identity had been overlooked. The rifles and machine-guns were tried as a last precaution. AU was well for whatever the gallant little party had to face. Half-an-hour later, seated in four military trucks, the party started off to the accompaniment of “Good luck and Happy Hunting,” and similar words; of cheer. At the top of Halfaya Pass there was still too much light to allow the little party to go further in the meanwhile] They halted for half-an-hour by which, time the light had deepened. On tney went to Fort Musaid, then they turned west for another mile and a-half.

> Leaving the trucks here they silent- , ly advanced on foot each man experi- • encing the tense feeling of a fast ap- ■ proaching crisis. Suddenly one man i noticed movement to the rear of the ■ party. Cover was taken and quietly ■ the officer investigated the position. There was nothing. On went the party ■ when another member noticed movement on the flank; again a false alarm. The barbed wire which the Italians had erected as a protective screen was then reached. Two men who had been detailed for the job crept forward and cut a gap sufficiently wide for the small party to pass through. When this passage had been negotiated bearings were checked and the party went on in the direction they had decided to follow. The bitumen road was reached and the party divided itself into two, one party on either side connected only by a taut piece of wire stretched across the. road to trip up the expected cyclist. For one long hour the party waited listening intently for an approaching enemy. None came, only the sound of distant voices and some bumping on the ground broke the silence. It was decided to go on. The party was called together and they silently marched towards the triangle made by the Si Aziez-Capuzzo-Bardia roads. A dark shadow appeared on the flank. It was a hangar. The party surrounded it. Not a sound was heard within. They listened intently. Only the breathing of the raiders could be heard. The hangar was empty. As the party re-assembled on one side of the hangar the sound of. digging and movement could then be heard clearly. It came from the direction of the locality to which the party had decided to go. As the area of the triangle was reached a sentry was seen standing on the Si Aziez Road on rhe left of the raiders. Another sentry was noticed ahead and then some large lorries standing within the triangle were revealed in silhouette. A group of the enemy could be seen. There appeared to be about one hundred and fifty of them. As the party crept up to the Si Aziez road a sergeant and two men with a machine-gun were left behind as cover. The rest moved forward. How silently they moved. Their objective was the men. working on the Bardia Road. About twenty could clearly be seen laying stones on rhe edge of a trench. One man unwillingly helped the raiding party for he was smoking a cigarette. Closer and closer crept the party, all they were so close that it was obvious that the enemy must soon see them as the moonlight was reflected on the white steel of the fixed bayonets. The signal was given. Every man rose to his feet and with rifles thrust forward, bayonets gleaming in the light, they rushed forward as one man. A yell of surprise from the enemy, a few hurried rifle shots, and the party was at their throats. Rilles barking and bayonets thrusting did their deadly work; hands were soon held high in pure fright. Bedlam supplanted the quiet of dial Egyptian night. All was confusion amongst the enemy. The British party pursued, and pursued relentlessly, die purpose of their raid. ’1 he slightest resistance meant instant death, there was only one .thing to do. to flee or io surrender. While some rounded up several prisoners, others spent the few brief minutes in protecting their capture by firing and bayoneting on either flank. A large dugout was noticed: into this jumped one of the raiders, a man :n bed. clearly an officer, sprang up co .collapse back with a sigh as a bayonet ended his earthly cares. The signal was given to the party to retire. A field gun was noticed finite near and a decision had to be made whether it should be destroyed. lO| have pushed a bomb down its muzzle would take lime and the Italians might rally and prevent the taking of the prisoners. So it was decided to ..etu>). with the prisoners and leave the gun. As the party was returning an enemy machine-gun opened lire. It was nring high. One of the prisoners made a I cry to give the Italians the proper direction. He was dealt with. The sergeant left behind to cover the retreat attempted to open lire but the machine-gun jammed. The enemy fire was getting periousl.v close. Back went the sergeant with his filo of men

carrying the machine-gun. The enemy were now pouring in a deadly fire and the sergeant halted and this time the machine-gun spoke its deadly messages. Two magazines were emptied at the Italians. Back, back went the party, forcing the prisoners along. Through the narrow gap in the wire all passed and then came quiet, fhe enemy ceased firing. The rest of the journey was uneventful. The lorries were reached, those prisoners who had been wounded were attended to and the party reported back to their battalion commander to receive congi gatulations on a job well and gallantly done. Later it was learnt that much valuable information was secured from the prisoners. The name of the New Zealander was Captain T. C. Wallace of the 2nd N.Z. Divisional Cavalry Regiment.