STIR OF FIGHTING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 October 1941, Page 5

STIR OF FIGHTING

AROUND TOBRUK DEFENCES BRITISH PATROLS ACTIVE & ENTERPRISING. ENEMY PARTIES SUFFER HEAVILY. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 11 a.m.) RUGBY, October 13. Details have been made known in London of recent patrol activities in the Tobruk area, which have been on a rather larger scale than usual. On the night of October 9, a patrol of twenty strong took up positions outside the .western sector of the perimeter, with a view to obtaining identification and inflicting casualties. A large Italian working party advanced to within approximately sixty yards of the the patrol and started to work. A covering party, about 40 strong, with thirteen light machine-guns, approached to within twenty yards of our patrol, which opened fire at point-blank range with Brens and machine-guns, inflicting about forty casualties. The patrol then withdrew without loss. On the following night, a fighting patrol in an area west of the perimeter fired on an enemy party about fifty strong, who were bunched together on the skyline. The enemy replied with light rifle fire, but inflicted no casualties on our troops. On the same night, a patrol 24 strong lay in' wait while an enemy working party approached to within fifty yards and then brought up the main body, consisting of about thirty men. Withholding their fire until the enemy advance troops were only ten yards off, our patrol opened fire with every available weapon, killing fifteen of the enemy and capturing one officer. An enemy machine-gun sixty yards to the flank opened up but was quickly silenced. Our casualties were two men slightly wounded. ‘ Italian working parties are presumed to be attempting to advance their defensive posts. On the southern sector, German tanks and Italian infantry succeeded in dislodging the garrison in an observation post which they had attempted to capture on the previous night. The enemy used about twenty tanks. Our casualties were two killed and seven wounded. The enemy casualties are not known. On October 11, ten enemy tanks cruised about all day in this area, firing on our forward advanced localities, but generally remaining in hull down positions and taking no offensive action. They were constantly harassed by our artillery. There is very heavy enemy shelling in the southern sector. In the eastern sector, the enemy fired a few rounds at the harbour, but caused no damage.