With British Imperial Fore in Libya, Feb. 14.
'A remarkable story can now be told of how, following Italy's entry §nto the war, a small force of picked New Zealand and British troops, thousands of miles through the de-
The total losses of the Italians: since the beginning of the hostilities is estimated at 90,000 men, that is to say 20000 killed, 52,000 wounded and 18,000 prisoners.
While the Greeks are saying litre about their achievements, they are' actually doing a great desi and are putting up a magnificent and suecess~ {ul Right against she Ttaligns-—Reuter. and sabotaging her preparations.
Known as the "long-range desert group," the force comprised picked officers and men from New Zealand troops and the British Royal Arm ured Corps. It was commanded by 8 Weutenant-colane) famed as an ox~ plorer of the Libyan desert, who had formerly been an oficial of the Egyptian Survey Department and member of the Palestine Department of Antiquities.
The force journeyed thousands of! miles through the deserts of southern Libya, carrying their own supplies, pirating enemy transport, shelling and capturing isolated forts, blowing up dumps and burning grounded aim craft, 'The operations were conducted over fa radius of more than 700 miles South of the cases of Siva and Glarabub, and most valuable informa~ tion was' obtained.
Threat Removed.
After Italy's declaration of war, the presence at Koutra oasis of enemy troops and aircraft in unknown numbers was disturbing to the British authorities. The Ialians were also Known {0 possess a number of motorized units constructed for de-sort work and capable of carrying out well executed desert operations. There, therefore, existed a distinct {threat to upper egypt by Tond and Tk was imperative to find out the secrets lying behind the great sand barrier protecting Koufra, and so the vanguard of the long-range desert roup set out, defying the sea of sand and sweltering heat of the August The vanguard, consisting of 2 British officer, five New Zealanders ud two light cars, erossed the sandy Waste—some 800 miles long and about 160 miles wide—and struck west wards 200 miles behind the Koufra~ Benghazi frontier. After several ays in the desert, studying wheel-marks and extracting a wealth of information by other means, the ya guard returned, with the way paved for further expeditions.
The same barrier was then crossed for the first time by, the full long ange desert group. Three columns fof loaded trucks crawled 200 miles through waves of sand.
The New Zealanders, unaccustomed to the desert, soon adapted them= selves to conditions. One truck fell over the brink of @ sand-dune and Athens, Feb. 14.
Pigihing in more than three fect of snow in the northern sector of Albania. Greek forces have succeed dislodging Mahan troops from '2°5,000-foot height, the Government spokesman said today.
The Talians left 52 men and. two captains dead on the battlefield, he reported.
Captured documents, he continued, revealed that the 62nd Blackshirt Battalion, originally consisting of 683 men. had been decreased to 128 as a resuit of losses in battles.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.