TANK RAIDERS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 December 1941, Page 5

TANK RAIDERS

BRITISH FLYING COLUMNS PLAYING IMPORTANT PART. STRENGTH OF THE HEAVY UNITS. (By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright) LONDON, November 30. The unit which captured General Ravenstein is one of the armoured flying columns which is harrying the Germans far in the rear of their main battle positions, says Reuter’s correspondent with the Eighth Army. They are similar to the Boer .War commandos. Travelling far and fast, often at night, they are terrorising the German tank units, which go in larger and tight formations for the night and send up flares as a precaution against surprise attacks. The British raiders welcome the flares, because they •aid in the location of the Germans, after which the tanks sweep in with deadly fire against the Germans’ close-packed vehicles. As good as the American tanks have proved, they are only a small part of our armoured fighting (Vehicles, the bulk of which are British made, adds the correspondent. The tank crews particularly praise the heavy British tanks, which have proved almost unable to be knocked out. The crews used some which were temporarily disabled as stationary pill-boxes, from which they continued to plaster the Germans with the tanks’ guns. These tanks were afterward repaired and again went into action. “The Times” correspondent with the Eighth Army headquarters says that with the repaired tanks and the reserves the British tanks force remains formidable, and the relief of Tobruk has made available an additional large force of tanks. The advantage' should be with, the British in the decisive part which the armoured units are likely to play in the battle.