JUNCTION COMPLETED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 November 1941, Page 5

JUNCTION COMPLETED

BRITISH TROOPS AND NEW ZEALANDERS OUTSIDE TOBRUK COMBINED FORCE FIGHTING ITS WAY WESTWARD

DAWN RENDEZVOUS GARRISON AND RELIEVING UNITS Heroic Stand by South African Infantry AGAINST OVERWHELMING ENEMY TANK CORPS PURSUIT OF GERMAN RAIDING COLUMN LONDON, November 28. The junction of United Kingdom and New Zealand troops outside Tobruk has now been completed and the combined force is fighting its way westward against determined opposition. An enemy armoured division in this area has been practically annihilated, but numerous pockets of enemy resistance in gullies running down to the coast remain to be’mopped up. The actual reunion of the forces outside Tobruk was only accomplished after heavy fighting. At dawn on Wednesday a Polish detachment crept out through the outer defences oi Tobruk and built eight bridges over enemy tank traps. Then came British infantry, including a famous Highland regiment and armoured forces. The day was one of artillery battles and bv evening two enemy positions had been captured. As already announced the relieving forces and the garrison kept their rendezvous next morning. A story is told of a grimy British Tommy and an equally grimy New Zealander meeting with ‘ ‘ How goes it mate? ’’ ‘ ‘ All right,” and exchanging a handclasp. The full story has now been made known of the great fight put up by the Fifth South African Infantry Brigade, which bore the brunt of an attack by a German tank corps of overwhelming strength. It has been announced in Pretoria that the South African brigade suffered losses in killed, wounded and prisoners not exceeding 1,200 men. This number may be reduced as men who had been captured are still escaping. The South Africans fought on against huge odds until the pressure was relieved by British armoured forces. Thirty miles south of Tobruk an enemy armoured column was seen moving westward and a sharp engagement is expected. The enemy raiding force reported earlier has been joined by two other elements and has split up into two sections. One, headed towards Gambut, has been effectively engaged by bombers. ? . Although more infantry and fewer tanks are now engaged in the vast Libyan battle, the conflict is still one of movement in which units of both armies get cut off and fight their way back to join their own forces.