Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-12-23

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little units as they retired.
Preparations for the Italian Of
fensive against Matruh, Egypt,
overcoming difficulties of all kinds, "
were largely completed at the be-
ginning o. December, Marshal
Graziani said.
An acqueduct, an imposing work
built with first rate speed and
technique using all the pipe then
existing in Libya, by December 3
carried four liters (about a GALLON
of water per second to Sidi Barrani,
while highway built with
everything available in Libya was
completed as to foundation and
largely rolled" the marshal said.
ION the front, deposits of food,
munitions and gasoline and almost
all estimated requirements were al
ready concentrated. Only the COM
pletion of equipment in motor trucks
which were forwarded from the
mother country was lacking.
Meanwhile our air force sys-
tematically demolished the rear lines
and supply installations and the
enemy was doing the same, con-
centrating its attacks on our rear
bases, especially Bengasi."
Large Units Assume Lines.
Italian troops patrolling the desert
to feel out the British resistance
and engaging in fights with British
mechanical forces noted growing
aggressiveness and audacity' cul-
minating in a clash in the front of
Italian attachments known as the
Maletti grouping, Marshal GRAHAM
reported.
While large units were assuming
lines for an imminent advance on
Matruh, GRAHAM said he stationed
adequate gunpowder at Halifaya,
Labia and Sidi Barrani to guarantee
marching columns against possible
enemy attacks on the southern flank.
Against the key points occupied
by our troops on the desert country,
fiat, easily looked over and devoid
of any tactical possibilities, the
enemy had an easy time of pooling
masses of armored equipment, me-
dunn and heavy tanks, aided by fast
moving batteries and effective as
sistance of the air forces" Marshal
GraZiani said.
Short preparation generally was
intrusted to artillery and aviation.
A murderous air bombardment had
hardly ceased when armored forces
rushed from all directions against
our troops and thus, despite the
most strenuous resistance, the key
points, in a few hours, were sub
merged one by one.
THE first to be invested was the
Maletti grouping, which began an
orderly withdrawal until, overcome,
it trailed a second Libyan division,
which had sent a strong motorized
column to its aid.
Against an armored mass operat-
ing concentrically on 9 wide front,
| the anti-tank guns and artillery OF
our divisions, forced to scatter their
fire as many fast-moving targets
headed decisively for their objective,
! could have little effect.
"The essential reason for the first
lightning success gained by the
enemy must therefore be sought in
the crushing superiority of armored
forces employed in masses"
Gen. MaIetti Fell in Battle.
Gen. Pietro Maletti fell at the
head of his Libyan battalions, which
were eliminated from the battle,
and the British swept on to Sid
Barrani, where the ironlike 'Janu-
airy Third Blackshirt Division,
bombarded by sea and air, resist
ed CALAMITY for two days -"
The first Libyan division which
had attempted to reach Sidi Bar
rani from Nadimaktla, where it
was intensely bombarded by the
British fleet, found the road barred
by armored cars, but held out a
long time although knowing its
doom was sealed"
The infiltrations of British troops
on the Bug Bug road threatened to
overthrow for a second time the
divisions of Catanzaro and Cirene,
too, Marshal Graziani reported.
IF it had been possible to throw
them back in counterattack
against the armored cars, this would
have meant sending them to GER
tain destruction" he said. There
fore, profiting from the resistance
of the troops barricaded in Sid
Barrani I decided to withdraw
those divisions from the enemy grip
and bring them back to the line
between Halfaya, Salum and Ca
puzzo, where I had meanwhile
sketched a defense with those di-
visions.
!, ION the afternoon of December