MUSSOLINI BEATEN

Wairarapa Times-Age, 16 December 1940, Page 5

MUSSOLINI BEATEN

ARMY OF 300,000 IN WILD FLIGHT DECLARATION BY GENERAL SMUTS. ATTENTION TO ABYSSINIA LATER. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) JOHANNESBURG, December 15. “Mussolini is beaten and his army of 300,000 is in wild flight,” said General Smuts in a speech. “Italy still has 200,000 in Abyssinia, but we will talk about them next Christmas. “I do not believe the war will be over before then, but South Africa will see that the menace to its future happiness and independence is banished from Africa.”

FRONTIER CROSSED BRITISH FORCES ENTER LIBYA. EARLIER NEWS OF SUCCESS CONFIRMED. LONDON, December 15. Latest news of the fighting in Egypt, officially announced in London, says that British forces pressing back ,the enemy on the Egyp-tian-Libya frontier have penetrated into Italian territory. This news confirms the breakdown of the first enemy attempt to make a stand. It shows that their counterattacks proved futile and it may now be assumed that the British forces gained the upper hand in the fierce fighting along the Libyan border re-, ported earlier. JOY IN BRITAIN LONDON PRESS COMMENT. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY December 13. Elation at the British victory in the Western Desert is generally reflected in London Press comment. “The Times” says: “The booty is certain to be enormous, because the Italians have been building up an ad vanced base in the hope of resuming their offensive against Egypt. It is not the victory alone and not the removal of the menace to Egypt alone which will hearten the whole Empire and all our friends outside it. There will also be universal delight in the boldness of General Wavell’s conception and the masterly skill of the planning and co-operation of the R.A.F., which has blinded the enemy in the skies.

British Sunday newspapers are enthusiastic about the British victory. Writing in the “Observer,” Mr J. L. Garvin says: “These are great days and promise to be greater.” The operations were bound to develop in a manner likely to make the battle one of the decisive events of this war and one to be remembered in military history. Even so, there would be long and desperate work ahead before the doom,of' Graziani’s army is sealed. The “Sunday Times” says that the results of the battle show that the British staff has digested the lessons of mechanised warfare and has the resources to carry them out. The “Sunday Express” says that .while the Greeks are applying the boot to the Italian pants the British forces in Egypt are beating a tattoo with a baton on the Italian face. Something has been accomplished, though more remains to be done.

BRIEF OFFICIAL REPORT SOME ITALIAN ADMISSIONS. PRESSURE NOT EASED. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.33 a.m.) RUGBY, December 15. An official communique from headquarters at Cairo states: “In Egypt operations are proceeding on the Libyan frontier, where our troops continue to press the enemy. A heavy duststorm is raging and visibility is bad. “On the other fronts there is no change.” An Italian High Command communique meanwhile admits not only the loss of Sidi Barrani but —more significant —admits that the “pressure of the enemy has not eased.” A third admission is that “a unit of medium size of the Italian navy has been hit and some damage caused. Fifty of the crew were killed.” This, according to the Italians, happened during three British air raids on Naples last night.