Evening star., 1941-02-11
Pincers Are Reported
Closing Tighter on
Italian East Africa
Success Is Continuing,
English Middle Eost
Command Declares
Bv the Associated Press.


CAIRO, Egypt, Feb. 1.-THE Brit
iSt Middle East command announced
continued success today in its giant
pincer movement aimed at squeez-
ing the italians out of their East
African empire.
I'm Eritrea, Ethiopia and Italian
Somaliland, operations in all sectors
continued to develop satisfactorily" j"
a general headquarters war bulletin
said. For the first time in days 1t
made no mention of new operations
on the North African front in Libya.
British bombers, raiding the island
of Rhodes for the third straight day,
dropped several tons" of explosives
on Calato Airdrome yesterday, the
R. A. F. command announced.
Ten italian planes on the ground
we're reported destroyed and others
damaged. The planes and airdrome
buildings were left in flames, the
pilots asserted.
The r. A. F. said there was lull
In the North African air war. but
that in East Africa Cheren. Eritrean
forces are preparing an assault. and
Asmara. the colony's capital. still
were being pounded by British
planes.
Italian General Dies.
British headquarters said Gen.
Tellera. commander of the 10th 1tal-
ian Army, a British captive. had
died of wounds suffered in fighting
south of Bengasi.
Gen. Tellera apparently was the
army commander mentioned by the
British among seven generals they
said they had captured in occupying
the Libyan port of Bengasi and sub
sequent mopping up of Cirenaica.
A corps commander listed among
the prisoners has been identified as
Gen. Annibale Electric WhiSkerS)
Bergonzoli. BlaCkShirt leader who
previously had eluded the British at
Bardia. Gen. Bergonzoli arrived in
Cairo Yesterday by plane.
In all the British have reported
taking 10 generals and one admiral
in the campaign in North Africa.
Navy May Aid Offensive.
The British foothold on the Red
Sea coast in Eritrea suggested TO
military observere today that the
royal navy may take hand for the
first time in the East African cam
paign.
Capture of the little port of Mersa
Taclai. these observers said. gave the
~,t hae f,-nf rI1
attempt a new drive south along the
Eritrean coastal plain under the pro-
tecting guns of British warships.
Mersa Taclai is about 10 miles
south Of the SudaneSe border and
l40 miles north of Massaua-impor-
tant Red Sea port and rail center
which is the ultimate objective of
British troops now engaged in driv-
ing eastward through thew CEN
ter of Eritrea.
The latter drive apparently still
was stalled today in the vicinity of
Cheren. rail center 10 miles west of
MasSaua, where the Italians. taking
advantage Of the rugged terrain,
have been resisting after a l00-mile
retreat.
Observers here believed that any
British thrust down the Eritrean
coast from Mersa Taclai would be
accompanied by a parallel drive
further inland from Korora, cap
ture of which also was announced
yesterday by the British.
From KorOra. small town on the
SudaneSe frontier 40 miles north
west of Mersa Taclai, a road runs
southwark at distance of 80 to
10 miles from the coast.
Reports from the Libyan front in
dicated the British we're consoidat-
ing positions along the coast, which
is now in their possession as far west
as FL Agheila, little barracks out
post some 1870 miles beyond Bengasi.
The North African troops appar-
emily were being permitted to rest
after their tWo-month offensive.
and there were no intimations that
any major operations in this area