BARDIA DEFENCES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 January 1942, Page 3

BARDIA DEFENCES

PENETRATED BY SOUTH AFRICANS 600 PRISONERS TAKEN MAIN ENEMY FORCES HARASSED. R.A.F. RAIDS ON GREECE & CRETE. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, January 1. In Libya our hind and air forces are successfully co-op-erating to bring General Rommel’s forces to bay 100 miles son!h of Benghazi. The enemy has had further evidence of the splendid help the R.A.F. is giving to our ground forces. An Air Force communique reports persistent attacks by our fighters and bombers on enemy armoured and transport vehicles in the Agedabia area, and on enemy transport on the roads between Tripoli and Cyrenaica. Military objectives in Greece and Crete have also been raided. Direct hits were scored on munitions factories and the submarine base at Salamis and in a raid on a chemical works at Piraeus, a green-coloured explosion burst was followed by an orange-col-oured fire. From these and other operations, two of our aircraft are missing. On.land cur forces are continuing to harass the enemy in the Jedabaya area, but a Cairo communique slates that activity has been less marked than on the preceding day. At Bardia, South African troops broke into the enemy’s positions in the southern area, taking 600 prisoners, including many Germans. Our casualties arc believed to have been light. NAVAL ACHIEVEMENTS SUBMARINES SINK FIVE ENEMY SCHOONERS. ITALIAN DESTROYER HIT WITH TORPEDO. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, December 31. An Admiralty communique states: “The Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean, reports that our submarines have sunk five enemy schooners, one of which was laden with ammunition, and in addition an Italian destroyer has been hit by a torpedo.” AGAIN REPELLED ENEMY IN JEDABAYA AREA. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, December 31. A British Cairo Headquarters communique states: “Yesterday the enemy in the Jedabaya area again employed the whole of their remaining tank strength, supported by infantry, with the object of trying to prevent our envelopment of their southern flank. A heavy engagement ensued in which we again inflicted considerable damage on enemy armoured fighting vehicles and motor transport.”