ARMY OF LIBERTY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 October 1941, Page 5

ARMY OF LIBERTY

GREAT FORCE ASSEMBLED IN MIDDLE EAST MEN OF MANY RACES STRONG & WELL-EQUIPPED FORMATIONS. UNWONTED STIR ON ANCIENT CARAVAN ROUTES. j (British Official Wireless.) ‘ (Received This Day, 9.57 a.m.) RUGBY, October 5. A Press agency correspondent in the Middle East reports his impression that the former Army of the Nile—now transformed into three separate armies—is one of the strongest and best-equipped war machines ever seen there and stands ready, an army of international character, stretching over a front of 1,300 miles. Besides British troops there are assembled Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans and Greeks, the latter shortly to be increased by the mobilisation. of all Greeks on the Mediterranean and African seaboards. There are also detachments of Poles and Czechoslovaks. In Syria the Free French, since the adhesion of 6,000 metropolitan troops and over 13,000 Asiatics and Africans, who have forsaken Vichy, now have an army far superior and doubled in strength since the Allied occupation of Syria. India, also, is constantly sending reinforcements. What with Palestinians forming new battalions and the Air Force being reinforced by Czechs, Yugoslavs, Americans, Canadians, Danes, Belgians, South Africans and even Fijians, “one might change the name of the Army of the Nile to the Army of Liberty.” Tanks, armoured cars and lorries are seen emerging from all directions and convoys are now invading caravan routes wliich formerly were considered the sole domain of the Bedouin and camels. New aerodromes are seen everywhere in the Western Desert. RAID ON CYPRUS NO CASUALTIES OR DAMAGE. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.57 a.m.) RUGBY, October 5. A small force of enemy aircraft crossed the Cyprus coast last night. Bombs were dropped at a number of points, but there were no casualties or damage.