MOBILE COLUMNS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 December 1941, Page 6

MOBILE COLUMNS

ACTIVE OVER WIDE AREA SUBSTANTIAL CAPTURES OF ENEMY MATERIAL. HEAVY ATTACKS CONTINUED BY AIR FORCE. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 12.15 p.m.) RUGBY, December 7. A Cairo headquarters communique says: “During the last 24 hours there has been considerable activity in the area between El Adem and Bir El Gobi. In an action four miles east of Bir El Gobi an enemy force of about 100 vehicles and two tanks was engaged by. South African troops, one tank being knocked out, the transport dispersed and the column forced to withdraw. Two other actions in this general area are still in progress and, when the latest reports reached Cairo in one of them enemy infantry had attacked British and Indian troops north of Bir El Gobi and we had coun-ter-attacked. Fighting continued in moonlight. “Further north armoured forces of both sides were reported in action. The progress of this action is not yet to hand although there are indications that our armoured forces have met with some success. South-west of Bir El Gobi yesterday evening, an enemy column, with some tanks, attacked British troops but met with no success.: During these engagements in the El Gobi area, our forces bombed enemy forces while they were refuelling, obtaining many direct hits. South-east of Tobruk British patrols penetrated several miles south of El Duda without encountering any opposition. These patrols destroyed fifteen enemy vehicles and two field guns were captured, with three German anti-tank guns and' 25 German prisoners. A little further east, in the Sidi Rezegh area, South African troops engaged in mop-ping-up operations removed or destroyed petrol and burned 62 enemy motor-vehicles and two aircraft and captured supplies and petrol dumps. In the frontier area operations against isolated enemy frontier garrisons are proceeding satisfactorily. Vigorous offensive operations by our mobile columns of all arms continue throughout the whole area. As a result, apart from a few isolated pockets, very few of the enemy remain between Tobruk and the frontier. In particular, numerous casualties have been reported among enemy vehicles and troops on the Trigh-Capuzzo Road, where a few Germans were captured. Mop-ping-up operations north of the coastal road, east of Tobruk, resulted in . the surrender of 27 Italians, and a little further west, in the Sidi Rezegh-El Adem area; the enemy is being subjected to continued harassing. Among losses inflicted by these mobile columns on December 6 were the destrustion of 23 Italian tanks and a complete Italian battery. _ • . “Our air forces again continued their heavy attacks enemy concentrations and enemy motor-vehicles, in addition to affording direct support to cur ground troops. Pcirticulaily effective results were obtained in the El Adem area, where our planes bombed a group of enemy tank transporters being loaded with heavy tanks.”