Evening star., 1942-11-15
Natives Provide 0n|,
Cheerful Note al
Tobruk 5 Re-enfy
Port Found Deserted
By British Pursuing
RommeI's Forces
BY EDWARD KENNEDY.

BY EDWARD KENNEDY,
Associated Press War Correspondent.
WITH BRITISH FORCES IN
TOBRUK, Nov. 13 Delayed
The last Of the Germans crept
out of Tobruk shortly before
dawn today.
Behind them, as the morning
sun cast golden glow over the
town of wrecked homes and the
harbor of sunken ships, came
British infantry and New Zea-
land engineers.
The engineers removed numerous
mines planted by the Germans to
impede the pursuit of the fleeing
Africa Corps, remnants of which
are now many miles west of here,
apparently on the way to Tripoli-
tania.
South of Tobruk the British COL
ums are at Acroma, where heavy
fighting took place last June, while
other colums are pressing the chase
over the desert tracks.
Australians had wanted to enter
Tobruk for sentimental reasons, but
the exigencies of the campaign did
not permit this. AS it turned out,
there was no opposition worthy of
their attention at this time
This is the third time I have
entered Tobruk with a victorious
army. The first was early in 1e41
when the Australians stormed it,
taking 10000 Italians prisoner.
The second was late in 1o41 when
it was delivered after eight months
Of grueling siege.
Today's occasion was the dullest
of all three. 1t was deserted town
when we entered, its wells polluted
and its big supply dumps Quilted by
the Germans before they left.
The only cheerful note came from
Black African troops captured when
the Axis took Tobruk last June
and whom the Germans kept here
as laborers.
The people were liberated as
soon as the Germans left. They
promptly broke into the few re-
naming barrels of Italian wine and
by the time We arrived they were
in high spirits.
They lined the roadway, with their
white teeth glistening, saluting and
cheering us, and occasionally one
would topple over in his gleeful
excitement.
Tobruk Badly Battered.
Tobruk is more badly battered
than it was before, due to Allied
bombing, but it was so badly
smashed the last time We entered
that the difference is not very
noticeable.
American forces in North Africa
have already scored a small victory
IN this area. TWenty-six Italians
left in pocket between Bardia and
Tobruk to impede the British sur
rendered without firing a shot.
When asked them why they
mad not resisted they said: when
we7heard on the radio that Amer
leans were in Tunisia, on the other
side, we thought the situation was
hopeless so we decided to give up."
The latest German prisoners saw
Nazl party officials in the armv
told them that reverses in Africa
meant nothing, as Africa was not
important to Germany: 1t is the
battle on the continent that counts.
1nls line apparently comes from
Propaganda Minister Goebbels and
Is new indication that Hitler is
preparing his people to accept an
AXIS withdrawal from Africa,
Dashlng nimbly about the desert
through all these operations is 1t.
Gen. Bernard L. Montgomery, wirev
little Irishman with piercing blue
eyes, who gambled all on hurting
the Africa Corps back from the Ell
Alamein line and won.
Wears Black Beret.
We have run into Monty" three
tunes in the last three days. He
goes about in a black beret of the
Royal Tank Force, bearing the in
sigma of that organization and also
that of his rank.
Yesterday he disentangled a traf-
fic jam of supply vehicles merely bv
glaring at it. When the drivers saw
that it was the commander in chief,
they quickly got back into place and
traffic soon was moving normally.
The tempo of the army has
changed since Monty" took over
He works the soldiers harder than
they ever worked before and they
like it better. He has given them
one thing they needed, which was
confidence, and with that came
victory
1t would be difficult to find an
army with higher morale than this
Eighth Army now has.
Used Orthodox Rules.
Gen. Montgomery mapped his
campaign according to Orthodox
rules. What he organized was a