MOBILE COLUMNS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 February 1942, Page 3

MOBILE COLUMNS

AGGRESSIVE ACTIVITIES IN LIBYA ENEMY RELUCTANT TO ENGAGE OUR FORCES. WIDESPREAD BRITISH AIR ATTACKS. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.31 a.m.) RUGBY. February 12. A Cairo communique states: “Our mobile columns and patrols continued their agressive activities in the general area of Gazala, Tmimi and Mekili. Enemy forces, including some tanks, were encountered to the west, near Mekili. They scattered and withdrew upon being engaged by our artillery fire. Other mobile columns were observed, but our troops were unable to bring them to battle. Our air force provided fighter protection over the whole area of operations, whie our bombers again attacked targets in the rear.” A commentator states that our forces are concentrated just west of Gazala, which is in British hands. Bombers raided objectives in Treea and the Dodecanese Islands, starting fires among enemy naval workshops, stores and submarine jetties. In the Libya battle area our planes damaged a number of enemy planes in combat. Dispersed enemy aircraft on the ground were attacked at Dorna. Six of our planes arc missing. NO GENERAL CHANGE STORES AND INSTALLATIONS DESTROYED. BEFORE RECENT RETREAT. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, February 11. A Middle East communique issued at British Cairo headquarters states that there was again no general change in the Libyan situation yesterday. . The Secretary for War, Captain Margesson, answering a question in the House of Commons, said that in the British retreat from Benghazi and Derna, so far as circumstances permitted, all stores, buildings, works and installations which might have been of value to the enemy were destroyed or removed before the withdrawal.