SWIFT ASSAULT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 January 1941, Page 5

SWIFT ASSAULT

FIFTEEN THOUSAND PRISONERS TAKEN . Mr Winston Churchill Congratulates Australian Troops FRENCH MARINES ASTRIDE ROAD FROM BARDIA TO TOBRUK OUTLOOK FOR REMNANT OF GARRISON HOPELESS THE FALL OF BARDIA IS ASSURED. A 8.8. C. BROADCAST STATES. BRITISH PATROLS HAVE ENTERED THE LIBYAN SEAPORT ITSELF AND THE ITALIANS ARE HOLDING OUT ONLY IN ONE SMALL SECTOR OF THE DEFENCES. A communique issued by British Headquarters in Chiho yesterday afternoon reports that Italian troops occupying hail of the northern sector of the defences ol Bardia have been forced to surrender. Australian troops have entered the town and only a restricted part of the south-eastern defences is still held by the enemy. Some fifteen thousand prisoners have been captured. Units of the Empire and United Kingdom forces which have been waiting to inscribe “Bardia” on their standards, it is added, have now completed the greater part of their task in a day and a half. Earlier reports spoke of the achievement of the Australian troops and British tanks. Yesterday a representative of the Australian forces gave the Royal Navy a large share of the credit for the success that has been won. Mr Winston Churchill has sent a message to Mr Menzies. Australian Prime Minister, expressing his heartiest congratulations on the magnificent manner in which the Australian troops opened the offensive against the Libyan seaport of Bardia. In the latest operations Italian bombers attempted to attack the British fleet. The attack was without effect, save that some casualties were caused on one British ship by a near miss. ACHIEVEMENTS IN TWENTY-FOUR DAYS In the 24 days since the Imperial forces in the Middle East launched their offensive they have swept across 120 miles of desert, taken more than 53,000 prisoners as well as many guns, tanks, machine-guns and a vast quantity of material. The Free French Press service reports that the position of the remnant of the Bardia garrison has now been made more hopeless than ever. French marines who are taking part in the operations in Libya have established themselves on the road between Bardia and Tobruk. There is thus no possibility of the escape of the remnants of the Italian garrison. The Royal Air Force has now largely been relieved of the duty of bombing Bardia, but on Saturday night made a final attack. Several tons of bombs were dropped on military objectives in Bardia and caused violent explosions. British bombers have kept up a constant attack on Italian aerodromes in Eastern Libya. At one point a gun was silenced by a direct hit and damage was done at Bomba. It has been ascertained that in its attack on Tripoli on December 31, the Royal Air Force sank an Italian motor vessel of 10,000 tons which was moored in the middle of Tripoli Harbour. British fighters have shot down in flames three enemy fighters and destroyed a fourth. One British fighter was lost. The Italian people are being prepared for the news of the fall of Bardia. In a broadcast from Rome, Sigmon Ansaldo said: “It is possible that our men have been forced to yield to the enormous concentrations of men and material whicl/Wavell has massed on the Cyrenaica front. The habit of minimising every enemy success is one which we do not like. This will be another British success, local if you like, but still a success and sad news for us." The Free French news service reports that in the Sudan several detachments of Spahis, the famous French colonial troops, have had a number of encounters with Italian patrols. The Italians were rapidly scattered, leaving a number of dead.