Show REPORT TAKING 6 BASE IN EGYPT Drive Ends Hold x Of Italians On Sidi Forces Seize 3 of Duces Duce's Gener Generals ls Many Prisoners Claim Loss 4 n Of Post Traps Other Fascist Units r rBy By W. W P. P C CAIRO IRO Dec 11 INS INS Capture Capture of the vitally important important- Italian advance base bas at Sidi by Gre Great t Britain's empire army was officially announced here Wednesday night Three Italian generals were among a large number of Italian prisoners captured in what represents represents represents one of the greatest British victories of the entire war The ma made e no mention mention mention men men- tion of the fate late of two Italian di divisions divisions divisions di- di visions comprising troops earlier reported trapped as the British surged forward over the desert wastes along a mile 30 front fronton on the heels of the retreating fas las cis 15 Dr Drive e Moves Westward A special announcement issued by the British military authorities here Wednesday night said This afternoon Sidi was captured with a large arge number number number num num- ber of prisoners including three generals The advance elements of our mechanized forces farces are now operating operating operating ing westward and nd considerable additIonal additional ad ad- captures have been made Capture of Sidi came only three days after the British launched their land sea and air offensive offensive offensive of of- against the Italian armies in North Africa The British offensive has met with success from the start More than prisoners were captured and 22 Italian planes shot down in inthe inthe I Ithe the first two days of the offensive The British quickly captured one important outpost and swept on beyond Sidi to the coast thus cutting the base off from Italy's main line of communications in Libya The Italians at Sidi were virtually trapped by this maneuver maneuver maneuver maneu maneu- ver and their quick surrender had been anticipated Taken Talen In September The Italians captured Sidi Bar Bar- rani from the British last September Septem Septem- ber when Premier M Mus Mussolini u s S sol o 1 i 1 n i launched his drive from Libya into Egypt The drive was aimed at atthe atthe atthe the Suez canal but it bogged down at Sidi on the edge of the Egyptian desert some miles from its objective The British offensive against Sidi was launched from Marsa the main British advance base in the western Egyptian Egyptian tian desert This base is about 75 miles from Sidi Capture of Sidi was accomplished accomplished accomplished ac ac- ac- ac by the British Nile Continued on Pave Pale Two Column Two r r Where British Are Carrying Out 0 Own wn Blitzkrieg o 0 I IM MEDI M E D I T E R. R R. R Mmes MILES J 4 N f A 1 S A i m EmM Vo 5 I D I. I Gp B A R R A N I 0 M A TRU H t ALEX ALEXANDRIA AND R I A SH BR SI-I SI SUPPLY SU PPL Y RAI RAILROAD LR OA D TO SUEZ i CANAL CANALL L LIB Y A r p it E JU EGYPT G a Y A P T i ITALIANS RETREAT AS BRITAIN LAUNCHES OFFENSIVE IN AFRICA Black wedge shows where fascist lines were c cut ut shaded area indicates Libya and recent Italian thrust into Egypt toward AI Alexandria British Report Capture Of dig Big Italian Base Continued from Page One army under command of Sir Henry Henry Henry Hen Hen- ry Maitland Wilson This army is composed of crack empire troops in including luding Tommies Australians and N New w Zealanders operating under under under un un- der the general direction of General General General Gen Gen- eral Sir Archibald Wavell com- com mander-in-chief mander of Britain's middle middle middle mid mid- dle eastern forces Capture of Sidi Is the first serious reverse Italy has suffered suffered suffered suf suf- in Africa since the outbreak of the war The Italian forces concentrated concentrated concentrated con con- there represented the spearhead of the Italian drive aimed at the Suez canal British recapture of the base is likely to mean indefinite postponement of Italy's drive against Egypt During every hour of the three- three day battle the R R. A. A F F. held mas mas- tery of the air headquarters de de- Enemy bases transport lines and troop concentrations were hammered relentlessly The sky over the battlefield was filled with British planes the announcement announcement announcement an an- said Capture of Italian troops and large stocks of war materials in the western desert was officially announced It was not made clear whether these were in addition to the whose capture was announced Tuesday or whether the new figure figure figure fig fig- ure represented the total to date Coordinated Push Claimed British reports indicated these successes were gained by one of the most powerfully-coordinated powerfully land naval and aerial assaults ever seen on any battlefront In the Mediterranean just off the coast British warships hurled shells into Italian communication lines while British bombers pounded Italian Italian Italian Ital Ital- ian defense posts stretching back miles On the g ground th the British troops in their mech mechanical war monsters thundered ahead ahead between the the Egyptian plateau and the Mediterranean Mediterranean Mediterranean dealing out military blows matching those meted out to the fascists in Albania by the bayonet- bayonet wielding Greeks It was claimed that at least 22 Italian planes have been shot down since the British offensive counter-offensive began Revealing that free French forces of General Charles De had participated in the Egyptian drive Prime Minister Winston Churchill told the British house of commons Tuesday that the preliminary preliminary preliminary pre phase of operations was very successful It appeared the British were about to recapture Sidi which the British abandoned last September soon after the initial Italian drive began Already the British have driven a powerful wedge between the Libyan troops holding Sidi Bar Bar- rani and supporting fascist divisions divisions divisions divi divi- further west Dispatches reaching Cairo said the Italian resistance had collapsed on the arid desert front almost as completely as in Greece and Al Al- bania Sir Maitland Wilson commander of the British Egyptian forces and responsible for the present offensive offensive offensive offen offen- sive was able to send his forces dashing across 75 miles of Egypt in a single night in their speedy mechanized trucks and tanks While the advance continued from newly-established newly bases British British British Brit Brit- ish fleet units shelled Sidi and the important Italian field fieldcamp fieldcamp fieldcamp camp at as well as other Italian positions On the 30 mile front between the plateau and the sea casualties were reported heavy as fierce fighting developed So far however no official statement has been issued on this point British authorities said a number of medium Italian tanks had been captured |