Evening star., 1940-12-19

shutting 1ldlldIl IelIllO CellicliIo
across the Adriatic to the AL
banian battlefront in an effort
to halt the Greek counter-inva-
sion.
BASEL, Switzerland. (P.-The
newspaper LIE Democrat of Dele
mont reported today from good
source in Zurich that freight
and civilian traffic have been
suspended on the Brenner rail-
way line to permit the passage OF
German divisions who are on
their way to Italy.
By the Associated Press
CAIRO, Egypt, Dec. 19.-Italian
rearguard forces left to defend Bar
dia, Libya's principal base in the
frontier region, have been trapped
and their way of escape to Tobruk
Is under aerial bombardment, Brit
ish war communiques declared to-
night
Advanced elements of our troops
which have successfully contained
numerically superior enemy forces
in Bardia are being steadily REIN
forced and the position of the rem
nants of the beaten Italian army in
that area can now be regarded as
precarious," said British general
headquarters communique.
The Royal Air Force. recounting
raids and reconnaissance which
took British planes over the western
desert battle zone and also over
the frontiers with italian East
Africa, reported:
THE Bardia -Tobruk road was
also bombed but little movement Is
SEEN"
Land Patrols Active.
Linked with aerial operations
against Italian-occupied Ethiopia
and Eritrea were British land patrol
operations.
"On the Sudan frontier our patrols
were again active in the Kassala and
Gallabat areas facing Eritrea and
Ethiopia, respectively. inf1icting a
number of casualties on the enemy" p"
said the communique.
General headquarters said that
>3l SAG Italian prisoners, including
1926 officers, had been counted
already as the haul of the Libyan
offensive and that several thousand
more were being removed from
battle areas.
Can Admiralty communique is
sued in London told of continu-
ing bombardment of Italian posi-
tions along the coast and Prime
Minister Churchill in his Com
mons address spoke of army
operations.
Gn fighting at Sidi Omar, the
Prime Minister reported, 300
prisoners and battery of ar
tillery were captured. Perhaps
their hearts are not in their
work." Mr.. Churchill said of the
Italians)
r. A. F. Fans Wide.
Bardia, less than 10 airline miles
northwest of the junction of the
ibyan-Egyptian frontiers, was an
important Italian supply base and
port. The normal population is
2,370.
The R. A. F. famed wide in its
offensive. 1t made a wave" attack
two nights ago on Benina Airdrome
which it's communique described as
zone of the heaviest raids of the
war in the western desert" destroy
ing 18 italian planes and firing the
airdrome.
A Rhodesian squadron raided Ital-
ian flying fields and troops in Me-
temma area of the Ethiopian-Sud
borderland, while others struck at
Jebel Serobatib, in the Sudan-Erit
rea region.
With the fan OF Bardia apparently
Imminent there were indications
that the Italians also were making
preparations to abandon Tobruk, 10
miles to the west.
The British said their reconnais-
sance planes had observed troop
movements in the direction of Derna
30 miles further west along the coast
Number Trapped Uncertain.
How many Italian troops still lay
within the net the British were at
tempting to tighten around Bardia
was uncertain here. The normal
garrison, however, was said to be
one division. and it was believed
that this number has been aug
mented by remnants of the units
routed at Sidi Barrani and Salum.
Heavy rains were said to have
handicapped but not halted British
mechanical units and the air force
was said to be playing major
role in the advance despite adverse
weather.
(The British radio. in broad
cast heard by CHS, declared
British airmen had shot down
or put out of action more than
100 Italian planes during the
last seven days while probably
losing no more than five craft
themselves)
British Using Seized Stores.
The British were said to be putting
to good use the great quantities oi
stores they were reported to have
captured in driving the Italians Out
Of Egypt.
The italians only serious shortage
appeared to be in metals. Many OF
the italian troops had no steel
helmets and many of their fortifi-
cations had no barbed wire. The
italians also had little gasoline, fol
most of their vehicles operate or
oil, which was a disappointment te
the British.
British Take Back 72O
From SomoIi|ond Raid