POSITION OF TOBRUK GARRISON PRECARIOUS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 January 1941, Page 5

POSITION OF TOBRUK GARRISON PRECARIOUS

British Aircraft Ranging Unopposed LAND FORCES MOVING WELL TO WESTWARD LOSS OF EASTERN LIBYA ANTICIPATED BY NAZI COMMENTATORS News from the Libyan front yesterday. a 8.8. t . broadcast states, was concerned largely with th** activities ot britiMi aircraft over that territory. The only Italian aircraft seen over a wide area were unserviceable machines on the ground. An R.A.F. communique reports heavy attacks on Bernina and other enemy aerodromes. Bombs tell on buildings, (aiisin_ large fires, and others near dispersed aircraft, hires wm-c started also at Benghazi, one in a large budding ot military importance. Shipping is believed to hate been <Lim«i_t 1 seriously. . , ■ Ju East Africa, the Caproni aircraft workshops and petiot (lumps at Assab and other objectives were damaged. Successful attacks were made also on aerodromes and oil stores in Abyssinia. . , From the whole of these operations all the British aircraft returned safely. A brief communique from British General 1 kadqimrteis in-Cairo states that preparatory activities in the lobruk area are continuing. ... It appears that an important feature in these operations is an increased concentration of British guns surrounding the Italian stronghold.

Troops of the Imperial Army are moving up io new positions under powerful escort b\ aircraft. There are reasons for believing that the situation ol the defenders of Tobruk may he even more precarious than was that of the Bardin garrison. For instance, water supplies have Io be taken to Tobruk from Derna, Ila miles to the west, and it is observed that there is little doubt that the Loyal Xtivy “will look after that.”

German (■omineiitators are now mlmilliug that ihe (mure province of ('yrenaivii, the eaKtorn pari of Libya, may have |o

be given up. In the Sudan, Briiish patrols are mill inning vigorous activities In operations east of Gallabat, our troops .successfully raided Italian frontier forces, inflicting vasuupic.g. General Smuts has pointed out that Smith Airman troops on the Kenya-Abyssinia border are immobilising an Italian army at least as large as tlmt. which General Wave Il’s forces are hammering in Libya. The South African 1 rime Minister expressed the hope that before ihe end of this year the Italians would be cleared out of Africa, right up to the Mediterranean.