GREAT ACHIEVEMENT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 January 1941, Page 5

GREAT ACHIEVEMENT

THE AUSTRALIAN ATTACK ON BARDIA , TWO BATTALIONS BREAK UP TWELVE. FORM I DABEE I)EFENCES STORMED. i (By Tcledraph—Press Association—Copyright) ; < Received This Day. 9.25 a.in ) CAIRO January 7. An Australian war correspon--1 dent, writing of the Australian at- | tack and penetration of Bardia. describes the operation as one of ■ the greatest of Australia's military achievements. A Victorian brigadier told the cor- ! respondent that, at the end of the first I day: "Two of my battalions had among their prisoners representatives of frmr • enemy regiments, which means that - they had fought, and broken up twelve I battalions. They had to fight in platI oc.ii and company tactics, without arj lillery support, and wlu-n it is considI cred that on the outer defences of ■ Bardia alone there wore eighty huge j concrete blockhouses, it is possible to • gather some idea of the magnitude of i the task."

■ The correspondent adds: "Early this "morning 1 came into Bardia town and i the first thing 1 saw was a New South i W.ili-s soldier galloping down the main * street <n a white horse and behind j him came twenty others, mostly riding i bareback, cigars in mouth but the clatter of machine-guns at the bottom of lite dill soon emled these pranks An enemy p.w lvas . tIH p),.,.,, A captain and three privates climbed down a steep clitY and. creeping up, silenced them with grenades. Then up came mote prisoner?:. i-.very where 1 looked were long line of prisoners One bri- ; g.tde nnj.-r today read that prisoners j must not hr brought back in lots of ■ than one thousand. The enmi pounds at (ui-a-fi! arc htirbonrmg ten- • i f thornandf ” j BLACK SHIRT GENERALS MEN IN BARDIA DESERTED. '■ ONE PICKED CP WITH BULK OF STAFF < (Received Tim: Day. 10.45 a m.i RUGBY, January H ■ It inspire; that <,n the night before ILicd:.i fell, .i Black Shirt <•• rps ' mandi-r and In. ’.w<. Black Sl/rt. de.-i--mil commanders' deserted their i ■ bav.i-.g the regular comman-'d-i > fight <:■ Oro- of the divi .rial - Comroo.ih-rs has since been picked up, with th,- bulk ( .f hr. ■t. ‘I wimdrrim: north <■' Bardia General Betg B :r: ’ . 'hci . ate -.t.-R !;il It ; w- - t ' they decamped by a : . • , lw.it spedally rw i-rvcd for the purpose, A -<■ ar.-h i- mtm■ iinr -soa; Hr a worst m;-. ;fr .‘.i o'Jirr ■. : * ■ ' ' • ' ’ ■ ’ ' • I ' ‘' > ' , ; ,w. LVrror;;S .A* c-y'r* ; . h!-=t .’•.<• :1 i'.

ILUJAN REPORT YOUTHS BEING CALLED TO COLOURS. (Received This Day, 9.29 am,* ROME. J.niiiary O A communique states: "British I>l;m<*s raided various localities m Uyrenalca. including Tripoli. '.chore four porsofis were killed and ten '.viiundod. ■’llaliajt planes torpedoed a Briti-h destroyer near Solium " The Italian War Ministry has announced that Cla s of 1922 has bccii called to the Colours, for Army and aviation service. Tins class comprises about 2'>(),(MX) youths, aged nineteen who have .already undergone two years’ so-called premilitary training. NEW ZEALAND VETERANS MESSAGE OF (•( >N(; RATUI .ATION 'EO AUSTRALIANS *By isjih Pit".-. A*. Mjcfa! !o:j » WEIJJXGTOX Tins Day. Tile following mes .age ha.s been di: ■ patched today ity Mr Ferry M L.C : !>■ 't'li:n i<jireside'it < f the Nev. tii<- Federal president of the Relur.ued Soldiers’ and Sudors’ Imperial L> apue i ! i;--.’ralia "Old : ildicr: cd New Zealand rend hearta-st c wi’raUiki* ion ■■ ’ ’ "O- Am tral * <m 1 rdhant eaptun * r o .. s ■ ■. l ', p ,s A