London, Sept. 28.
'HE cream of the British Imperial army lies athwart the western desert from the sea southwards in prearranged strategic positions, waiting and watching as the men of Marshal Graziani, Commander-in-Chief of the Ttalian army in Libya, pause to recuperate from the punishment they took in their recent 60-mile drive into Egypt, writes Reuter's special correspondent with the British Army facing the Italians in the western desert—the first correspondent to visit the front since the Italian advance from Libya began.
Pouring troops into a fan-shaped coastal area between the escarpment at Sollum and their salient at Sidi Barrani the Italians are strenuously preparing for the second and more difficult stage of their advance to the east. Though the British forces did not attempt seriously to impede the Italian push to Sidi Barrani, the enemy suffered considerably from the British harrying tactics and losing much material as the result of artillery and air attacks.
Colour was added to one action by the Italians who used anti-tank guns ring red, white and green tracer shells, "Blackpool on Saturday night" was how one British officer described the scene.—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.