NO HEART IN FIGHT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 January 1941, Page 5

NO HEART IN FIGHT

FATE OF THE BARDIA GARRISON SACRIFICE TO FASCIST PRESTIGE. PREPOSTEROUS ENEMY PROPAGANDA. -(British OfTiciai Wireless.) RUGBY, January 7. A commentary on the fall of Bardia was transmitted today by the Rome radio for the benefit of Italians living abroad. The Fascist propaganda machine tries hard to minimise the importance of the defeat of a large part of the army which was designed to effect the conquest of Egypt, but in face of the facts which are well-known by Italians living in countries where the Press and wireless are not mere tools of totalitarian propaganda, it is difficult to see how much comfort can be obtained from the statements broadcast.

However much the magnitude of the: defeat, may be disguised from Musso-o lini's dupes living in Italy, the Italians; abroad know perfectly well the fact! that more than 30 000 Italians soldiers! have been captured at Bardia alone! and they can hardly support the gran-, diloquent phareology of the radio an-{ nouncements that "the Italian saldierl knows how to fight and die as well asj the best soldier in the world." The Fascist broadcaster then cnn-i tinned: ”. . . even if he (the Italian' soldier) can foresee the outcome of the struggle and has no hope of victory from the very beginning." No British soldier remembering the Italian troops when they arc properly equipped and led and are fighting for a cause which they can and do believe in, but the admission that these unfortunate men knew that they had no hope of citherj reinforcement or victory, combined: with the large number of prisoners and J the extremely small casualties srttltctcd on the Australian troops demonstrate-: that the Italian regiments had' no heart in their light. Realising that then* wtis n<> other | prospect that death or capture. theyi well know as the Italians abroad alsej know. they ware being offered a a 1 human sacrifice on the altar of F.ro' cist Party prestige ITALIAN AIR LOSSES STRENGTH IN NORTH AFRICA REDUCED BY HA! I Th.- original to-.J , f It .l.aii m ■. line planes m Africa !. ■. br<‘.‘i reduced about sH’.y per cent. the B B C states Al Ira;: KM Italian plane have been destroyed on the ground in RAF raids <-n Italian airfield-. . I as new airfi-ld-. are uvup.nl by the British forero it is. jo,-that morel evident the . di-Ww of th- . ..ij will be discovered •A high officer of the RA. F in • ’diddle East w.'i quoted by a Blip commentator a*-, eating that the 1..J--j;-n?: had lost upward 1 ' of planeas against a Brlb-ih I f 75 ■ : ■ - chine?