GAINS IN LIBYA

Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 January 1942, Page 4

GAINS IN LIBYA

CYRENAICA ALMOST CLEAR OF AXIS FORCES GUNS & MATERIAL CAPTURED AT HALFAYA. VIGOROUS R.A.F. ACTIVITIES. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 11.37 a.m.) RUGBY, January 18. A British Cairo communique states that except fortenemy troops east of El Agheila, in which area there was no| change in the situation yesterday, all the remaining Axis forces have been cleared out of Egypt and Cyrenaica with the fall of Halfaya. Generals de Georgis and Buttafuocoe, respectively commanding and second-in-command of the Fifty-Fifth Division, surrendered at Halfaya. The surrender was unconditional and included the handing t over intact of numerous guns of all ' calibres and quantities of war material which had been accumulating within the strongly prepared defences in this area. A R.A.F. Middle East communique announces that during yesterday our fighter aircraft were active over the forward areas of Libya. Enemy motor transport vehicles on the road between Nofilia and Marsa El Auegia were successfully attacked, many trucks being damaged and others set on fire, and casualties inflicted on enemy personnel. Other 'fighters intercepted a Junkers 88 north-east of Tobruk and shot it down into the sea in flames. On Friday our fighters shot down a Messerschmitt 110 in the same area, and off Benghazi a Junkers 88 was destroyed. From these and other operations all oui’ aircraft returned safely. ITALIAN GENERALS TOTAL OF 79 NOW HELD AS WAR PRISONERS. (Received This Day, 10.55 a.m.) CAIRO, January 18. Two Italian generals were taken at Halfaya and this brings the total to 79 Italian generals as prisoners of war. Twenty-three were captured in the first Libya campaign, three so far in the- present campaign and 53 in East • Africa. Both German and Italian communiques admit the fall of Halfaya. The Italian one says the garrison was deprived for three days of all supplies. They had no water, even for the wounded.