The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-01-24
British Control Main
 Road To Big Fortress
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NCOnCnueu
 Imperial forces could strike vest ward from Mekili against Benghazi while other units made it their bus aness to reduce Derna and points along the coast between it and BenghaI
 A drive through to Benghazi along the inland road would cut off all remnants of the Italian army in Cyrenaica, British military experts said, leaving Marshal Rodolfo Gra- ziani's North African Terribili con- fined to Tripolitania.
 Coincident with latest news from North Africa, military quarters here believed that a campaign to drive the Italians out of Africa completely had gained momentum. It was an- nounced that Emperor Halle Selas- sic had returned to Ethiopia to raise an army to fight beside the British.
 Libya Beset Everywhere
 Troops and allies of the British empire now beset Libya from the east, Eritrea from the west, Ethio- pia from the northwest and south. And on every front the Italians were reported on the defensive if not on the run.
 It. was announced officially at Cairo that Selassie had re-entered Ethiopia Jan. 15. Immediately after the British drive a spearhead into his country for him. and that he had personally hoisted his red, green and gold flag just across the frontier from Anglo Egyptian Sudan.
 The Lion of Judah" was flown Go a place near the frontier in a British plane and he went to the border by automobile, it was re- vealed. He walked across the bor- der through a pass cut in a wooded section, and hoisted his flag in a simple ceremony around a wooden f1agpole. He was surrounded by aides and soldiers, the nucleus of an army he is raising and placing under oath ito fight to the death to rout the FaScistS"
 MOw Down Cavalry
 The London Daily Mails corre- Spondent at KaSSala, in the Sudan, reported that British imperial troops had moved down a force of native Eritrean cavalry in battle near the village of Keru, 50 miles inside Erit- req on the road to Agordat The bat tie was said to have occurred We'd nesday. The cavalrymen charged a British mechanized unit, wildly way ing their swords and uttering stri- dent war cries, and when they were within 30 yards of the British posi- tionS the gunnerS cut great swaths in their ranks and sent the Surviv- ors into headlong retreat, the news paper said.
 The southern end of the British Spearhead in Eritrea was within 15 miles of the important base of Bar entu and there were signs that the Italians were evacuating the whole fringe of frontier lowlands, reaching from 50 to 100 miles into Eritrea, the Daily Mail said.
 Drive Into Ethiopia Southwest of Barentu, another British column was driving into Ethiopia, driving the Italians out of the whole region between Lake Taxa and the Sudan border. Italian gar- risons were reported withdrawing along 300-mile front as the British moved in, native tribes rallied to Selassie's banner, and Ethiopian na- ttveS deserted the Italian army to join the British. In the whole re- zion, 1t was said, the Italians had only one strong garrison left, that around Metemma, which was hard pressed by the British.
 A dispatch from Nairobi, Kenya, said British South African troops, aided by Philippians, had attacked the southern border of Ethiopia and had captured the Italian outposts of Fl Yibo and Fl Sardu. Airplanes and armored cars were used in the attack. Fl Yibo was defended by 500 native bandas commanded by Euro pean officers. Casualties were re- ported as one Italian officer, one Italian commissioned officer and 19 bandaS killed. British losses were one Ethiopian killed and two wounded and one British officer wounded.
 At Sydney, Australia, War Minis ter J. A. Spender announced he had received message from Lieut.. Gen. Sir Thomas Blamey, commander of the Australian troops in Africa, say ing that 25,000 prisoners had been captured at Tobruk, and that im- perial casualties were probably less than 300. The message said Italian remnants were being mopped up. The prisoners taken at Tobruk raised the total taken by the British in the Libyan campaign to approximately 105,000.
 French Troops There
 Gen. Charles De Gaulle, head of the Free French forces, said in a radio broadcast last night that French troops had marched into Tubruk beside the British" and that the progress of fighting in Libya was making French people realize that "the whole (French) empire will re-enter the war of liberation as a unit if tomorrow the enemy puts his foot in our TuniSia, with or without the Vichy governments consent"
 Certain elements in the van- guard already have re-entered the war and other elements in the fleet, North Africa, West Africa and Syria wait for the leaders to do their duty and follow suit" De Gaulle said.
 War Bulletins
 Berlin, Jan. 24-(UP)-The Ger man high command said today that long range German bombers yester- day attacked and sank two armed British merchant ships totaling