Copy No. 11 OPTEL No. 16 LIBYA . To A.M. 2nd December. Throughout 1st December very heavy fighting continued in area BIR EL HAMID - OAASRAM (three miles further east) - SIDI REOEGH, in which enemy succeeded in splitting junction of New Oealand Division with TOBRUK garrison, and forced us to withdraw to South. TOBRUK garrison still hold EL DUDA. By night 1/2 December our main concentration including our armoured forces was on line of track TIGH EL ABED (SHEFFEROEN to EL GOBI) from whence enemy moving south of escarpments were being harassed. Portion of New Oealand Division were patrolling West from MENASTIR (fourteen miles N.N.W. of BARDIA). Indian troops were clearing up frontier area where enemy still hold BARDIA, area SOLLUM - HALFAYA, and a point six miles N.W. of SIDI 0MAR. By morning second December our patrols were forward on line of escarpment from a point twenty miles west of BARDIA through a point six miles W.S.W. of SIDI REOEGH, thence to EL GOBI. Armoured car patrols operating on enemy L. of C. West of ACROMA were successful, and destroyed enemy M.T. (II) AIR During first December, four Blenheim squadrons with fighter escort bombed enemy M.T. and tanks south of SIDI REOEGH at noon, Details obscured by cloud but large fire started among vehicles. In afternoon one Maryland squadron with fighter escort attacked about three hundred M.T. north of SIDI REOEGH. Bombing was very effective, many vehicles destroyed. Dump inside BARDIA perimeter also bombed causing a very violent explosion and large fires. |