Evening star., 1941-01-22
Troops ; Miles
Outside Tobruk,
British Assert
Both Outer Defenses
Of City Declared
Smashed in Attack
BACKGROUND

10 opCuIItCuuy tuCuuCu fLQLAH
North African colony of Ltbyu
after capturing Fascist output OF
Sidi Barrani in Egypt last month.
Subsequently British took Itdl-
ian base OF Bdrdid and pushed on
westward to Tobruk. Plans in
clude attacks further WeSt against
Bengnsi and Tripoh.
By the Associated Press.
CAIRO, Egypt, Jan. 22-British
forces, having driven eight miles
through the defenses of Tobruk, were
within three miles of the town it.
self at dusk yesterday and today
operations are again developing
satisfactorily" the British command
announced today.
Advanced British patrols were
said TO be nearing the harbor late
today and further announcement
was expected tonight, but British
headquarters lacked conhrma ton Of
reports the city had fallen.
In Sydney, Australia, Federal
Treasurer A. w. Fadden said the
fall of Tobruk apparently was
announced enormously -here. end
added that Army Minister P. C.
Spender made the announcement
in good faith and confident that
the Italian base would fall soon.
(The announcement, which was
forwarded as news dispatch to
London by Reuters British
news agency, was apparently the
result of an unconfrmed wireless
message picked up by the AUS
tralian Army intelligence in Mel
bourne and telephoned to Spen-
der.
In London it was said that
formal announcement of the cap
ture naturally must await" mop
ping up of the last remaining
Fascist resistance.
Prime Minister Churchill told
the House of Commons: 1T may
we'll be that while I am speaking
Tobruk and its garrison are in
our hands,
Outer Defenses Smashed.
Dispatches reaching here prior TO
the announcement said that the
storming British and Australian
forces. aided by the Royal Navy and
air force, had registered their gains
after smashing both the outer de-
fenses of the Italian Libyan port.
Launching their assault at dawn
yesterday, the British were said to
have smashed these defenses by
noon.
The British commands announce
ment said:
by dusk yesterday evening. our
attack had penetrated the defenses
of Tobruk 10 a depth of eight miles
and our forward troops had firmly
established themselves in positions
directly overlooking and within three
miles of the town of Tobruk itself.
Today operations are again develop
ing satisfactorily"
In East Africa. the British an
nounced that the Italians had with
drawn 40 miles east of the Anglo
Egyptian Sudan -Eritrean border,
were giving ground east of Metemma
and were being driven back from
positions inside the Kenya-Ethi-
opian frontier.
The main assault on Tobruk and
its 10000 defenders. front-line dis
patches said, was launched from the
east. While other British forces
hammered at the rest of the lines.
British and Australian troops were
said to have battered their way
through the defense rings, then
thrust right, left and forward In a
fanwise operation.
Some Taken From Rear.
Some Italian defenders in this
sector of the outer perimeter were
taken from the rear, this account
said, while spearhead attack drove
through the second line strong
points in the same kind of maneu-
yer that brought Bardias capture
January s.
The R. A F. announced that it
prepared the way for the British
ground forces with a smashing at
tack on Tobruk the night of January
20-21 Fascist anti-aircraft batter
les were said to have been silenced
and communication lines blasted.
The R. A. F's communique added
that British fighter planes were ac-
tive throughout yesterday, but that
no italian planes were encountered
In the first day of the grand as
sault on Tobruk the British said
some of the Italians laid down their
arms, leaving the remainder hem
med in without hope of escape.
Tobruk, 80 miles from the Egyptian
frontier, was reported reduced to
ruins by big guns of the British
fleet, and clouds of smoke from
burning petrol dumps hung over the
town.
Heavy air raids. which continued
all night Sunday and all day Monday