GREAT DAMAGE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 July 1942, Page 3

GREAT DAMAGE

DONE BY NEW ZEALAND ARTILLERY ACCURATE AND DEADLY FIRE. GERMAN HEAVY GUNS KNOCKED OUT. (Official War Correspondent, N.Z.E.F.) CAIRO, July 2. Stories of the great havoc caused to a Panzer division by the New Zealand 25-pounders in the course of Saturday’s action 25 miles south of Mersa Matruh were brought to Cairo early this morning by two New Zealand gunners who were captured by the Germans, but who escaped in the darkness when a detachment of Indian troops threw the Italian laager into confusion with a swift surprise raid. The men were Gunners J. Archer, Auckland, and R. D. Thurston, Wanganui. They were forced by the Germans to march up and down in a small area under the deadly and accurate New Zealand shellfire. The gunners said that the New Zealand artillery did great damage and caused many casualties.

“They were amazingly accurate,” said one gunner. “They ranged on two German troops of heavy artillery, and in no time knocked out all the guns of these two troops.”

I PARTY TAKEN PRISONER.

With the guns of the New Zealand Third Echelon field artillery, the two gunners left Mersa Matruh on Thursday afternoon for the escarpment 25 miles to the south. The stem of their tractor 1 broke down and they were forced to return to Mersa Matruh for repairs. On Friday night they set off again to join the regiment and, when about five miles from the New Zealand artillery positions, they heard a column rumbling along in the darkness. Their little convoy was stopped. Away in the distance, British night-fighters were attacking German raiders, and they watched a dog-fight in the moonlight. Soon after a flight of German bombers flew over their position and carried out a swift and intensive raid on the New Zealanders. The prisoners were loaded into trucks and the column bumped its way across the moonlit desert. At 4 a.m. the New Zealanders were instructed to dig their own slit trenches and also trenches for their guards. All next day the six New Zealand prisoners were under constant fire from New Zealand guns. They were given half a dixie of water among them and no food. When night came, the Germans gave the New Zealanders the option of marching behind the German column or being handed over to the Italians. The New Zealanders chose the Germans, but a few minutes later the German decision was reversed and the New Zealanders found themselves guarded by Italians. “Throughout Sunday we lay m blistering heat in the desert,” said one New Zealender. “The numbers of prisoners had been swelled during the day and toward evening we found ourselves among a crowd of about 400 British and Indians. There were only six New Zealanders.” NIGHT ATTACK BY INDIANS. When the prisoners were bedded down for the night covered by the Italians on fixed lines, there was a roar and a rattle a short distance away. Over the escarpment and down a wadi swept Bren carriers manned by Indians. They were carrying out a daring raid in an attempt to release the prisoners. Tracer bullets from the Bren-carriers ripped across the sky. The Indians drove a wedge into the Italian lines.

Terrified and screaming for mercy, the Italian guards raced away in confusion. At the height of the commotion the two New Zealanders made a dash for it, just as the Italians started firing their machine-guns. They were quickly out of range. Scores of Indians escaped, but some were killed. Across the desert, flooded with moonlight, the two New Zealanders trudged, hoping to find an Indian camp. When they had covered about 10 miles they came across a column moving fast from the direction of Mersa Matruh. It was a British column of about 100 vehicles —odds and ends from Mersa Matruh. There were signallers, A.S.C. and. ordnance personnel, the last of the British troops to leave Mersa Matruh before the Germans walked in.

On through the night the column rumbled, navigated brilliantly by an unknown officer. Soon came the crack and flash of German anti-tank guns. The column circled quickly away to the south, but before they could escape the curtain of German fire, six trucks had been set ablaze. Three more trucks were blown up as the escaping column ran into a British minefield. When dawn came the British column was chased by German armoured cars. They managed to cut off the tail of the convoy. Afi S '' an ADVENTUROUS PASSAGE. Four trucks, one of which contained the two New Zealanders, started to make for Daba, but found the way barred by German concentrations. Back into the desert they headed, making their way all the time eastward. After being machine-gunned by two German planes, the four trucks eventually left the battle area far behind and, after hard travelling, arrived at Cairo in the early hours of this morning. Both New Zealanders said that at one o’clock on Sunday morning they heard a terrific battle as the New Zealand battle groups fought their way out. They also heard loud explosions as demolitions were carried out .at Mersa Matruh. Rommel was carrying out his moves always at night, they said. Vehicles were formed into seven lines, head to tail, with tanks out in front, a tank behind and tanks on either side. He was moving quickly, but he was handicapped by an obvious shortage of petrol. He was using tanks to tow trucks, so that petrolwould be conserved. The New Zealanders going into action were in high spirits and had every confidence, said the gunners. They were cheerful and remarkably fit, showing the benefits of their solid training in Syria.