EARLIER NEWS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 January 1941, Page 5

EARLIER NEWS

THE AUSTRALIAN ASSAULT WITHERING BOMBARDMENT OPENS THE WAY. GARRISON ENGAGED AT CLOSE QUARTERS. (By Telegraph—-Pt<“.n Asocialicm—C«»py rij' 1 LONDON January -5 A communique in Cairo today stated: "By yesterday evening our troops had penetrated the centre of the defences of Bardin to a depth of two miles on a frontage of nine miles. The attack was carried out with great dash by Australians, whose casualties have been comparatively light. Operations are successfully continuing.” The Rome correspondent of tl • ■ A the Italians are reported to be .ittem.i ting to m .ii remforvemen' > Bard: ’ I-t Tribuna ' says that troops are a. riving to reinforce the line for the fm Ha-.h Tile Libya o.rre- ; o!l<b : ' < ' the A Jtocitited Pre', of (ire..: l!n'..>i:i ;ay that British artillery. i . label an Warship. Slave beic.baibed the !.■ ie. Hucrcd Italians with a withering f<>r 24 hour’ M-t of the Italian'. wet buried in dugouts and tr .”;i'h<" b: the b.il . I.|je I:.; . • • bl 1 their ii'-ive'. 1 be hit• i ‘i.’ Italian gun . re[ lie ! I- ,: ■ i- him: f r The . .u::- .. :•• • . h . for miles the dejert The An't ra I-.m'. b-.u’i: r. g ■.!;<• Aral a'l.iri. chatged With bavoncts hurl r grenade, and blasting field y. a at. machine-gun nest' Th- ’i- un; of P.a iam faring the A: md.am' gleam: i.-; , ,j

| Iho Daily .Mail’s special eorresponI dent in a message from Cairo dcscrib- ] mg the Australian break-through says j that an artillery barrage at dawn pavled the way with a curtain of .shells ’from concealed batteries all round the i town, and then the Australians advanced for their fir. t major engagement in this war. They stormed' the ;' iitcrmti ■ defence:; and smashed their j way to engage the garrison at close j quarters A,, a result of their earlier mcoii--1 .a’ . the An. tr.Uians knew the loeir.ums of the enemy's weakest , The Italian-. dug many anti- ■ tank ditches, but site sandstorms in the 1 past month ftlled m the ditches at < xj p-. cd pom’s where the Italians dared ■ n ’. end working partin' ENEMY TAKEN IN REAR. Ki umr •: -pec.a! dirrvqiondent nt the Brimh headquarters m Egypt says that no,- of the chief ■ ecu • of tiie prepara- } b‘ r ii’Uick ifi Bardin has been Ji'* iC’.ntS'-, of the information j’uin<‘d - bout til.- region' (irfi-m-, . Th, <■ ■ ‘di patrols who penetrated Bardia’s 'HiiCf 1 o. a. score of limes r.;r;n e ., reporting • aspect -.f tb« Itaimw’ preparation They entered and measured great tarn; traps rimnin" . r. imd the enemy defence ..mi brought bari: fia.-m whom valuable mf'-rmat: h a . . < btained. ”T.<- f’a.io la rr.-.j . -,f ’ I*D ■ T ■ ■ ’ ' . .. • ' : ’eh "111: had I'e.-O, 1 .'.imj.;-, ' ever’.' ref. . f th,. •_ ■ f i‘.-b ■ ; .- • I . : . . - , • • ■ ■ • i ‘•ke .'■ .’.. . :.m- : ..th.:... of a ' ::n a <•. ' . • . . ... ’ ■■■•< ■ '• .'io;..- p ■ \ there dm; attack v. 1 tinchi d ■ o,■ < -a..