The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-01-06
Over 25,OOO Made
 Prisoners By British
Continued from Page 1.)

BarQla TOaQ was uke negOClaUlng a hot corner in Flanders in the last war.
 Our army true kpassed elaborate Italian barbed wire and steel anti tank obstacles and the 16-foot wide tank ditch, then went through a maze of concrete forts in whcih the Italians had believed they would be able to hold out indefinitely.
 Beyond the ditch we began to see Italian wounded lying ill the road side ditches, some evidently dying. British Red Cross men were tending them while ambulances picked them up.
 All round was scattered the debris of war. The battle field was filtered with guns of all calibers, burned out tanks and trucks and slnoul- dering munitions and gasoline dumps. At many points the road was almost blocked by tanks and trucks which the British artillery had smashed.
 Victory Arch" Is Monument
 We passed through a victory arch" Straddling the road, and proceeded toward the town. The arch had been erected in memory of the Italian advance that was to have ended at SueZ and had ended in military dehacle.
 We came in sight of the sea. The town Shone white ill a weak after noon sun. The sun was obscured occasionally as the smoke of two big fires and many smaller ones was driven across it. At one side of the road a gasoline dump famed. On our right spumes of dust and black smoke were thrown up by ar tillery shells of both sides.
 We reached a dip in the road where the plateau of the desert dropped into craggy waterless wadi or valley. There we saw group of Australians waiting to advance. An old soldier among them, a veteran of the last war from his ribbons, with close cropped hair, told me the fighting had been fierce here. He and his companions were full of praise for the British tanks, oper- ated by men who belonged to a famous Hussar regiment.
 Australians had occupied all the Italian forts and pill boxes and were collecting the spells the Italians had left.
 Our truck halted for 50 Italian prisoners, escorted by single Aus tralian whose rifle was slung on his shoulder. They were the survivors of a big force who had been eject ed from three forts by hand grn- ade attack.
 Scene of Cleanup
 At the entrance to Bardia were two British tanks. one on each side of the road. It was nearing dark, and the fires sent a ruddy glow over the whole sky Three houses near the entrance were burning fiercly. A great hole had been knocked in the front of big tow cred house. Rows of one-storied whiteWashed modern buildings blazed at either side of the street. As it got dark the Starlit sky was specked with pinpoints of light as sparks from the fire were scat tered over the desert. There were great gaps in the houses along the streets. Australians were securing the streets and ferreting into houeS in search of stragglers.
 Look, I've got whole battalion Y called young Australian. We looked and saw a young soldier, his head ,x,,.o ,1r>aJ i,, o l,lood cooked hand. age, escorting 2,000 Italians who had been captured by an officer and seven men. They were bedraggled but weakly cheerful as they marched, their faces covered with a several days growth of beard, tow ard the desert amid the litter Of abandoned rifles and ammunition and wrecked houses.
 As we toured the town it was evil dent that the civilian population had left long ago. The town was deserted except for the stragglers whom the Australians, now under the light of a crescent moon, con- tinued to hunt through the tangle of buildings. Occasionally there was burst of fire from the north where about 5000 Italians were making 8 last vain attempt to escape. Two starving cats ran out of house. And pigeons and doves fluttered out in alarm.
 We learned that in addition to the generals the entire local Italian naval control staff had been cap tured.
 Australians told us that in taking one dug out they found an Italian colonel, dead, his face covered with father. He had been killed by a hand grenade fragment as his or derly was shaving him, apparently. Many Were Hungry
 Many of the Italian prisoners, we were told, were famished when cap tured, and begged for food.
 The Australians established tenn porary headquarters in the court house, one of the few buildings still standing.
 We went through the main street, passing the native bazaars and shell-ridled villas whose roofs hung crazily askew. Some were still aflame.
 Three Italian gendarmes came up to us with their hands up to sur. render. They seemed afraid when they learned they would Seep in 3ardia last night.
 ''W have gone through terrible experience with the smelling and bombing" one of them said.