PATRIOT FORCES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 February 1941, Page 5

PATRIOT FORCES

ACTIVE IN ABYSSINIA

INFLICTING HEAVY LOSSES ON ITALIANS.

STORY OF FIRST HOISTING OF FLAG.

LONDON. February 4. Activity by patriots in southwest Abyssinia is increasing and successful ambushes of convoys

and clashes with Italian detachments have involved considerable Italian losses.

The patriots report that Italians and native irregulars are terrorising and murdering peasants, looting villages and seizing livestock. More Abyssinians are coming into Kenya for arms and training. It is now revealed that the Ethiopian flag was first hoisted in Abyssinia when 500 uniformed Ethiopian refugees, accompanied by forces of the King’s African Rifles, captured on July 13 Narnaraputh, a small Italian outpost on Lake Rudolf.

The refugee regiment went on. intending to make contact with friends and then disperse and foment unrest, but the regiment returned weak and disappointed a month later because it had entered uninhabited country and was unable to Contact friends or obtain food. It was also bombed. It now lias British officers and has been reequipped. Several successful actions have been fought by the regiment, the most important of which was the capture of the frontier post of Dukana.

ITALIAN PRISONERS

NUMBER FOR SOUTH AFRICA. RUGBY. February -1. The Union of South Africa has agreed to take 20,000 Italian prisoners taken by the British .Army in the Libyan c;im|>;iig!i. The Secretary of Wiir, Mr Margesson announcing this in the House of Commons said he hoped that the arrangements for this would very shortly be completed. Replying to a further question as to whether a large number of prisoners should not be put to work on the land Mr Margesson said that this policy was being pursued. FEAT OF ARMS THE VICTORY AT AGORDAT. HEAVY ENEMY CASUALTIES. LONDON. February -I The magnitude of the British victory at Agordat deserves emphasis. Agord.lt has been the centre of Italian civilisation in East Eritrea and has been a big military and air base since the invasion of Abyssinia. Its defenders included the (Tacit Second Ita.h. n Colonial Brigade. with light and med: im artillery under the command of (’.•Ionol Lorenzini. who is regarded - anting ItMv', most brilliant S- Idler: Tin- British c iinmandcr tried is (•ii‘. <■•». A ->-:ti;,' frmn A mara but was .••reed to admit that the ground was !• ‘ didicult A Scottish battalion reinforced in i therefore Si-lit to ’.i.’.e I ahem 11:11, '. el I- -kllig Ar- from the ' Tle-v imdti: - d a ■ d a half hahan battalions a .Me m .-i d:!fa;?;’t T w.iuply them m ■■ : ■ pported by a fam 11“ ' ' : ' S :■ U „ Hill.

to take and hold their objectives to the last man. stormed four smaller hills east of Agordat. Simultaneously the Royal Air Force spotted a strong Italian column coming in from the east, and British armoured units and infantry attacked and knocked out in a few minutes 11 tanks, which was half the enemy's force. The Italians then retired from ’the impregnable height of Laquetat to south from Agordat. A swift attempt was made to cut off the retreat of the enemy from Agordat itself, but they were too quick and slipped out in the darkness over the secondary road to Asmara.

The British entered the town without resistance. The Italians suffered very heavy losses, those killed and taken prisoner exceeding 2200.