Evening star., 1941-12-26
British Take Big Toll
OF Germans After
Bengasi' S Capture
Confused Fighting North
Of Aeebudiu Reported;
R. A. F. Hurries Enemy

BY the Associated Press.
The British Army, with the ruins
of Bengasi in its possession, ham,
mered home its advantage today and
was reported by the Near East COM
mand in Cairo to be taking heavy
toll of German forces seeking to re-
treat farther westward after loss of
Libya's second largest city.
The bulk of the Axis troops, to-
DAYS Cairo communique said. was
engaged by the British in confused
fighting" north of Agedabia, 90
miles south of Bengasi on the coast
road to Tripol, capital of Italy's
North African empire. Near Bengasl
itself and around BARGE only ''lso-
lated bodies in various stages OF dis
organizat ton" still were offering re-
SlStanCe.
The r. A. F., in operations ranging
as far west as Tripoli itself, also
harried the Axis forces in the
Agedabia sector. Its communlque
reported considerable damage done
to armOred cars, guns and motor
transports southwest of Agedabia.
The air force said direct hits were
scored on the Karamanh Mole at
Tripoh.
Bengasi's Fall Admitted.
British occupation of Bengasl was
acknowledged by the Italian high
command, which claimed the Axis
supply port had fallen only after
italian and German troops had
destroyed and abandoned it.
The British communique said
10000 Axis prisoners already had
been shipped to the rear.
In the fighting north of Agedabia,
the Near East command said, six
Axis tanks were put out of COM
mission. Three italian tanks and II
armored cars and II German light
tanks and an unspecified number of
Axis planes and war material were
found abandoned in the BARGE area,
it was said.
A small ship seeking to bring sup
plies to Axis forces besieged at Hal
faya was hit by British field artil-
lery. caught fire and had to be
beached, the communique reported.
Planned Movements Continue.
The Italian high command in
Rome said:
Our troops continued their
previously planned movements in
western Cirenaica which the enemy,
despite repeated attacks, was un-
able to hinder"
The British were declared to have
lost several armored cars in vain
attacks on Axis garrisons at Bardia,
Libya. and Salum, Egypt.
A British plane was shot down in
flames by italian fighters during a
raid on Tripoli. the Libyan capital
the high command said.
Rommels Forces May Escape.
A London military commentator
said that in spite of the repeated
stabs by British armored patrols
which were whiting down his tank
strength, German Gen. Erwin ROM
mel still might succeed in getting
some of his forces through to
Tripolitania.
Other informed London quarters,
however, asserted few of the Nazi
tanks were likely to reach safety
even if they managed to break past
the British interceptors near
Agedabia. They pointed out that
during a withdrawal the Germans
would not be able to repair even
relatively minor breakdowns, while
actually their tanks probably were
in need of thorough overhauling
after weeks of constant action
They added that R. A. F. Strafings,
as well as the British patrols, were
certain to take a heavy toll along
the barren. exposed coastal road
and that Gen. Rommel faced a
tremendous task if he hoped to
effect a speedy withdrawal as far
west as Sirte $50 miles into
Tripolitania. He would have to get
at least this far, these observers
said, to feel at all safe.
Threat to Egypt Removed.
The capture of Bengasi means
that an Axis threat to Egypt has
been removed and large British
forces eventually will be freed for
the mopping up of Libya, it was said
in London.
Word of the recapture of Bengasi
was received with satisfaction in
London. 1t lies at the 3O0-mile
mark on the drive westward from
the Egyptian frontier begun No
vember 18.
A British military commentator
said italian forces in Libya were
known to be separted completely
from the Germans, although their
position was confused.