ITALIAN PANIC

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 January 1943, Page 3

ITALIAN PANIC

INLAND FORT ABANDONED IN HASTE EIGHTH ARMY ADVANCE IN TRIPOLITANIA. GERMANS TRYING TO DIG IN. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, January 4. The “Daily Mail’s” special correspondent with the advanced forces of the Eighth Army describes a piratical little action at Bungem, a dramatic-looking stone fort 50 miles inland, south of Wadi Zamzam. A British patrol before being noticed kidnapped two defenders of the fort, who were black Libyan soldiers. They revealed that there were 120 Italian soldiers within, so. the British armoured force dropped a few shells, whereupon panic broke out and lorries careered from the fort southward. The British soused the buildings with petrol and set fire to them, after which armoured cars drove peacefully into the charred ruins. The correspondent says the point oi the advance so far reached is the nearest thing to a real front fine we have had since El Agheila. The Germans spent fuur nights in the same ; place. Stukas appeared in the sky, tin hats being worn. The thunder of artillery is echoing in the tortuous ravines. Tanks have not yet made contact with enemy tanks or infantry, but the campaign has changed from a headlong pursuit to a cautious jockeying for positions. Officers say the Germans are digging in hurriedly in new positions. Five hundred men are engaged in one place, but the Germans have done that before and abandoned better positions when we showed our heavy armour.