Evening star., 1940-12-18
Italians Retreoting to Derno,
$50 Miles From Libyon Border;
Bordio Believed to Be Isolated
British Close Line
On West, East and
South of Town

By the Associated Press.
CAIRO, Egypt, Dec. 18.-Italian
troops were reported today by the
British Royal Air Force to be falling
back toward Derna, $50 miles within
Libya, harassed by bombs and ma
chine guns on the march.
Reconnaissance flights showed
the enemy retreating to Derna," the
r. A. F. communique said.
Our fighters 'machine-gunned re-
treating troops between Bardia and
Tobruk"
Earlier reports from the western
desert indicated that Bardia, italy, S
main coastal base in the Libyan
frontier region, had been isolated by
British armored units, to the west,
and fresh troops rolling up before
the town on the east. Apparently
the line had been closed also on the
south.
Must Pass Through TObruk.
For any retreat toward Derna the
Italians had to pass through or near
Tobruk, roughly half the 150-mile
distance between Bardia
British airmen struck heavily at
the Bardia and Derna ends OF the
italian line.
Heavy rain in the western desert
yesterday restricted air activity con-
siderably," the communique said
Nevertheless aircraft of the R. A. F.
continued to attack Bardia both
during the day and the previous
night.
"Three large fires were started in
the encampment. outside the town
a large quantity of motor transport
was damaged
"Derna was raided during last
night, all bombs falling on the air
drome. Owing to bad weather, the
damage was not observed.
(The italian version OF the
western desert battle was that
British troops in Libya, weakened
by italian aerial and land bonn
bardment and the stubborn rear
guard fighting of Italian troops,
has eased their presSureD
Two Italian Planes Claimed.
The R. A. F. reported shooting
down two Italian planes in western
desert patrol fighting and damaging
two others.
The air force added to the land
feints against Italian East Africa
with two raids Monday and Tuesday
on Assab, Eritrea In one bombs
fell in the target area of a motor
transport yard and, in the other,
pamphlets in Italian and ARABIC
telling of the fall of Solum and Fort
Capuzzo, in the western desert, were
dropped.
Port Sudan, on the Red Sea in
Anglo Egyptian Sudan, was ralded
by the Italians, the r. A. F. reported.
"Our fighters intercepted the en-
envy and one S-79 had one engine
put out of action by machine-gun
fire and the remaining S-79's es-
caped into the Clouds" according to
the communique.
The British claimed that all their
planes returned safely from the far
flung operations.
The British general headquarters
communloue was succinct on all op-
erations, above all those Of the west
ern desert.
Operations in the Bardia area
continue" was all it said leaving to
the R. A. F. and unofficial reports
from the fighting zone the descrlp-
ton of the penetration of Libya.
While the mechanical spearheads
raced for positions dominating es-
cape roads west toward Tobruk,
British infantry reinforced by eager
Australians marched up for direct
assault along the Roman Via Wit
toria"-the road to triumph" the
! Italians built for their frustrated
drive toward Alexandria.
Drive Gains Momentum.
Thus, military observers said, the
counter drive which Gen. Sir Archi-
bald Wavell aunched out of the
desert dawn nile days ago appeared
to be gaining momentum instead OF
begging down fu breathing spell
at the frontier.
At the same time there were hints
that the British night be switching
to the offensive along the Kenya-
Ethiopian frontier as well as in
North Africa. British forces on the
Kanya front were reported yester-
day to have undertaken offensive
patrolling"
The British push toward Bardia
\ came without pause after announce
Anent of quick moppmg-up opera
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