The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-12-23
Marshal Graziani In
 True Story Of Defeat
Continued from Page 1.)

Continued mediately informed the army, which kept all troops on the alert.
 During the day of December 8 from varionus symptoms I felt that the enemy attack was inn minent and repeated warning to commanders ordering them to be ready to oppose an attack Ii launched as you see there was no sprprise-we all knew of prob able enemy attack. How it started at dawn December g and how 1t overcame the divisions in the ad- vance lines will be seen from the following.
 Masses of Armored Units
 Against strondholds occupied by our troops in the fiat desert terrain, without any possibility of tactics, the enemy had the opportunity of employing masses of armored units, armored cars and medium and heavy tanks supported by mobile batteries and with effective coop eration of air forces.
 '"The brief preparation (for the at tack) was generally entrusted to artillery and aviation.
 "As soon as the mastering air bombardment ceased armored units struck from everfy direction against our troops. Thus despite flercest re- sistance our strongholds within a few hours were one by one taken.
 "The first stronghold to be at tackled was that held by the Maletti troops, which began an orderly re- treat until it was overcome and dragged along with it the second Libyan division, which had sent a strong lightning column to its aid. Against an armored mass oper- ating concentrically on large tront our anti-tank arms and artillery, which were forced to waste shots on numerous mobile targets that de- terminedly came forward, had little effect.
 "The essential reason for the en- emy's initial lightning-like success must be attributed to the crushing superiority of the enemy's armored units.
 Kept Up Tradition
 "Our national Qtalian and Lib van divisions in this battle also kept the high traditions of bravery and heroism of our army. Commanders aand troops in the western desert regions wrote pages of the greatest heroism-episodes of epic greatness occupied in the unequal battle be- tween soldiers of Italy and the Brit ish empires armored formations. Detachments of our divisions, 1so- lated and encircled on all sides, re- sisted to the last cartridge"
 Graziani told how after the Maletti and second Dibyan divisions had been eliminated the British ad- vanced on Sidi Barrani, where the iron-like blackshirt division third of January valorously resisted for two days"
 The first Libyan division, advanc- ing under heavy fire o f the British fleet tried to form a line near Sld1 Barrani, Graziani said, only to find the road closed by armored cars "Yet it lengthily held off the enemy even though itknew it's fate was scaled" he said.
 "This situation, which each mo- ment worsened because of nfiltra- tions already reported on the Bug bug road, threatened to overcome | the second line divisionS-Catanzarc and Cirene," Graziani reported "Even if it had been possible fol them to launch counter-attacR against armored cars they would have been doomed to certain de- struction.
 Therefore, profiting by the re- sistance of the troops entrencheo in Sidi Barrani, decided to free these divisions from the enemy's grip and sen them back on the Hal faya -Sollum- -CapuzZo line where meanwhile I had prepared defense with rear divisions.
 Retreat Ordered
 During the afternoon of Dec. 0 ordered retreat.
 "This was carried out sufficiently regularly so far as the Catanzarc division was concerned up to Tishi- aida, when upon the resumption o1 the march, it also was encircled ano made a taret by armored cars which broke it up.
 The heroic sacrifice of some de- tachments .. allowed tWo-thlrds of the division to reach our line al Sollum.
 The Cirene division instead freed itself better from the enemy grip but when it reached Halfaya it was extremely tired. On the even- ing of the Eth, while the remaining defenders of Sidi Barrani and Max tila, encircled for three days, op- posed their last stubborn resistance vanguards of the enemy armored columns closed in our our troops of Halfaya, attempting to encircle our right flank"
 Graziani said that the troops of Gen. Beronzolis' division held the British for two days, Dec. 13 and IA, by counter attacks and then a new British mechanical columns ap- preached, "retreated in perfect order on Bardia, where they are still hold ing off the enemy attack with bray cry and determination to the end"
 Direct to MussOlini
 Then Graziani told Mussolini:
 ''In order to have a complete pie ture of the battle it is necessary to mention the action of the enemy fleet and aviation.
 'The fleet constantly held under ties powerful offensive action our