SOUTH AFRICANS BREAK THROUGH STRONG DEFENCES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 January 1942, Page 3

SOUTH AFRICANS BREAK THROUGH STRONG DEFENCES

Helped by Tanks and Aircraft OVER 1000 BRITISH PRISONERS RELEASED INTENSIVE AND POWERFUL ATTACKS DRIVEN HOME LONDON, January 2. Bardia is again in British hands. This is announced in a special communique issued in Cairo which states that South African troops, supported by British tanks and aircraft, this morning captured Bardia, thereby releasing more than one thousand British prisoners. The number of enemy prisoners has not yet been announced, but our casualties are known to be light. By their close co-operation and intensive attacks our air forces assisted materially in gaining this rapid and decisive result. It has earlier been announced that the number of prisoners captured in Bardia had been increased to 1,000. The recapture of Bardia. comes as a climax to incessant attacks by our land and sea forces during the past fortnight. Bardia has been taken within two days of the anniversary of its capture by General Wavell’s forces last year. It was recaptured by the Germans during their advance in April last and in November was bypassed by the advancing British and Imperial forces. The Bardia garrison was given no opportunity of breaking out. It was bombarded continuously from land and air and its surrender was cnly a matter of time. The Germans tried to make Bardia impregnable, with Tobruk as their model. The defences were extended at least twenty miles, with barbed wire entanglements, concrete dugouts and tank traps. On Saturday South African sappers started their task of blowing up these defences. The Germans are still holding out at Halfaya and there are other isolated pockets of resistance to be cleaned up. During 1941, 2,095 enemy aircraft have been shot down or destroyed by our forces in the Middle East. These losses were inflicted in areas ranging from Greece to Italian Somaliland and from the Western Desert to Iran. In the present Libyan offensive, 381 enemy planes have been destroyed, in addition to those accounted for by our armoured patrols and those found wrecked and abandoned by the enemy. ENEMY SUBMARINES THREE SUNK OFF LIBYA BY BRITISH NAVAL FORCES LONDON, January 2. Three enemy submarines have been sunk by British naval forces off the coast of Libya. Two were German submarines and one was Italian. One hundred and thirty prisoners were taken. A communique reporting the sinking of the submarines states that the enemy had been making special efforts to interfere with supplies being sent by sea, but with little success.