RAPID ADVANCE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 March 1941, Page 5

RAPID ADVANCE

BRITISH FORCES SWEEP INTO ABYSSINIA MOVEMENT FROM ITALIAN SOMALILAND. ITALIANS AT KEREN ALMOST SURROUNDED. The rapid advance by British forces from Italian Somaliland into Abyssinia continues, stales the 8.8. C. These forces have now reached Gabredarre, about 140 miles inside the frontier and on the road to Harrar, 240 miles away. On the other side of Abyssinia the advance of patriot forces continues. Elsewhere British troops are daily extending their area of control. At Keren, in Eritrea, the R.A.F. has again bombed enemy positions. The Italians are virtually surrounded and their last line of communications has been considerably damaged by bombs.

NO OPPOSITION GOOD METALLED ROADS IN FRONT. MANY ITALIAN DESERTIONS. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, March 8. ' British forces from Ferfer (Italian Somaliland) sweeping into Abyssinia at the rate of 100 miles a day. are now believed to be approaching Gabredarre. The retreating Italians have out-distanced their pursuers, but the South African Air Force is harrying them without respite. The British forces are now on good metalled roads in the east of Abyssinia en route to Harrar (north-east Abyssinia) and are marching on without opposition. Italian forces' have been withdrawn from Lugh Ferrarandi (near where the borders of Kenya, Abyssinia, and Italian Somaliland meet) and are retreating toward the south Abyssinian lakes. The whole of Italian Somaliland to a line north of the Shebeli River has been cleared of organised Italian forces. The Italians left 21,000 dead and prisoners in Italian Somaliland. In the north, British and Ethiopian patrols are increasingly bringing pressure to bear on Chilga, north of Lake Tana on the way to Gondar. British sappers are clearing land mines from the road to Chilga and patriots are pinpricking the Italians in Gondar. British bombers, coming in from constantly-varied directions, are attacking Keren, in Eritrea. They fly low and attack the Italian positions for hours. The Italian batteries reply, but our artillery finds the gun positions quickly, and the Italian batteries throughout the day are forced to move from one point to another. Italian troops are reported to be deserting at the rate of about a battalion a week. Italians in Abyssinia are greatly demoralised by the complete absence of Italian aircraft, due to the supremacy of the R.A.F., who are bombing military objectives and patrolling over Keren, says a correspondent with the Imperial forces, according to British Official Wireless. The liberating forces, consisting of Sudan Defence Force units, regular Ethiopian units officered by the British, and patriot irregulars and guerrilla bands led by feudal chiefs, continue to harass the enemy retreating toward Debra, in the Gondar area, where it is understood that important forces are gathering. From the morning of , March 4 to the evening of March 5. '3OO prisoners were taken. In addition, there were 2700 deserters and a number of casualties in the course of the Italian retreat from Burye, where the Italian forces numbered 5000. Patrol activities are going on at Keren, where the British forces and patriots inflicted 40 casualties on the Italians with no losses to themselves. In this region contact with the forces due west of Keren is impossible because of the thickness of the undergrowth and the mountains. The Foreign Legion has now joined the ether Free French unit of colonial infantry. Keren is being defended by the Italians with the greatest energy, though from time to time numbers of soldiers are deserting. The Italians are losing considerable important material in their retreat, including guns and lorries which the patriots are now using.