BRILLIANT ADVANCE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 February 1941, Page 6

BRILLIANT ADVANCE

T ! CAPTURE OF MOGADISHU j “IMPREGNABLE” LINE CRUMBLES. ITALIAN HIGH COMMAND OUT OF DATE. (British Official Wireless.) i Received This Day. 11.23 a.m;) RUGBY, February 27. ■ Details of the brilliant British adIvance in Italian Somaliland which j culminated in the capture of Mogadishu are given in an unofficial account from Nairobi, which says that I during the night of February 25 East African troops entered the town without opposition. "Owing to the darkness, the defeat of the enemy on the line of the Juba River, the speed of the British advance ; and the hurried evacuation by the ; Italians the town suffered little damlage. It has been impossible hitherto ' to assess the number of prisoners and I material captured and many Europeans and Askaris are still surrendering. This achievement has been possible by the co-operation of all three services land the vigorous action of all forces j employed. The greatness of the achj ievement may.be appreciated when it Us realised that during the period from, i February 12 to February 25. starting | I from advance bases already at the end I j of a line of communications 220 miles j ; long, the lighting formations have ad-1 j vanced in the face of opposition over! j .single track roads a distance of 570 : miles. In addition, the major waler ■obstacle of the Juba River was crossed j—a line which the Italians apparently ■ thought impregnable—in the face of I opposition. ’ I The advance of the East African] | army which resulted in the capture of] Mogadishu seems to have been tool rapid for the compilers of Italian High! Command conununiques. Today’s ] communique states: “In Italian Somali-! i land our troops, after offering fierce re- ] . sis la* ice forever a month withdrew in ' ! the direction of Mogadishu.” FALL OF CAPITAL. NOT ADMITTED BY ITALIANS. I (Received This Day. 11.15 a.m.) j LONDON. February 27. An Italian communique docs not ad - i mil the fall of Mogadishu and says! German bombers carried out mass at-1 Macks on Maltese airports, set lire toj grounded planes and hit hangars