PLANES ACTIVE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 March 1941, Page 5

PLANES ACTIVE

MANY OBJECTIVES BOMBED IN AFRICA ANOTHER ATTACK ON TRIPOLI. ATTENTION TO ABYSSINIAN AREAS. A Cairo communique states that land forces in Abyssinia and Italian Somaliland continue to make satisfactory progress the 8.8. C. announced this morning. The main activity is in the air. In Libya, the harbour at Tripoli, was again attacked on Saturday night, and enemy aerodromes in Tripolitania were also bombed. In Abyssinia the railway line from Addis Ababa to Jibuti was bombed, a direct hit being scored on a train and another on a station, In spite of the British bombers being intercepted by a number of Italian fighters an aerodrome was also bombed. South of Lake Tana R.A.F. bombers attacked Italian forces retreating from Burye. In Eritrea British planes bombed and machine-gun-ned the enemy in the Keren area.

BIG CAPTURES BRITISH SUCCESSES IN TWO MONTHS. TWO-THIRDS OF EAST AFRICA OCCUPIED. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, March 9. British troops occupy almost twothirds of Italian East Africa’s vast surface. In two months they have cap-' 1 tured 100,000 square miles in Italian Somaliland, 29,000 square miles in Eritrea, 39,000 square miles in Abyssinia to the south and west of Lake Tana', 10,000 square miles on the Kurmuk front of Abyssinia and 10,000 square miles on the north Kenya front. This does not include the large gains that are at present resulting from the re-cord-breaking drive of South African armoured forces toward Gabre Darre on the main road from Mogadishu to Harar These armoured forces, which are probably nearer to Harar than hitherto had been indicated, are driving an important wedge between British Somaliland and the rest of East Africa. The South African armoured forces have advanced no fewer than a thousand miles in six weeks and are now approaching the area of Marshal Graziani’s drive in the Province of Ogaden (north-eastern Abyssinia), in 1936. During the short' rains which are normally due in April the terrain will be more difficult as the Abyssinian highlands are approached, but the magnificent road will be of much assistance.

The Italians in Keren are still stubbornly resisting. They number at least 40,000 and include some of the best Eritrean regiments and a stiffening of Savoy Grenadiers. A message from Cairo states that patriots from Burye have driven the Italians beyond Dambacha (40 miles east of Burye) and are keeping up merciless pressure from all sides. South African troops from LughFerrandi have occupied Dolo (on the border of Italian Somaliland and Abyssinia and near the Kenya frontier) and are pushing on north-westward. The Italians in the Agaden area are in full flight.. Planes report that white flags are being flown at points more than 100 miles ahead of the most advanced British forces in this area, where the Italians are believed to have no forts before Harar is reached.

QUICK END PREDICTED BY GENERAL SMUTS. EAST AFRICAN CAMPAIGN. LONDON, March 10. A quick end to the fighting in Abyssinia and Somaliland has been predicted by General Smuts, the South African Prime Minister. Before he left Nairobi for home after his visit to .Cairo and discussions with Mr. Eden, General Dill and General Wavell, he said that things were proceeding remarkably well. The Somaliland campaign was practically finished and he believed that the fighting in Abyssinia was in its final stage.