While only very scanty news concerning developments in north and north-east Africa are available statements made by General Smuts, and General Sir Claude Auchinleck, Commander-in-chief in India, on the subject &re of singular interest at this particular General Smuts after a visit to as having said, the Somalitand was practically finished, and he that the fighting in Abyssinia was its final phase. In Somaliland the have been making rapid ihe latter may be expected to continue fighting a rearguard action as they fall back on be the signal for Italian forces in the east to withdraw northward for a final stand in the Italian colony. The British invasion of Eritrea is not proceeding so quickly as it did in the initial stages. From Kassala into Eritrea the British advance was rapid up to and after the capture of Agordat, but the Italians have concentrated the cream of their forces at Keren, surrounded by strongly fortified, precipitous heights and obviously a place where a final stand should be made. Naturally the British are proceeding with the utmost caution in order in the first place not to lose too many in casualties, and in the second to make sure that when the place can be attacked there shall be every chance of its proving quickly successful. War has been described as long periods of boredom punctuated by brief periods of great excitement. This war is proving no exception to that definition, and what was seen in northern Africa, in the Libyan campaign, when a long period of preparation suddenly gave way to a swiftly successful onslaught on the Italians, is being repeated in Eritrea. There can be no doubt that directly the time comes the British command will strike hard at Keren, and once that stronghold is reduced the rounding up of the Italian forces in Eritrea should be only a matter of time, and that not very long.
It is interesting to note the high tribute paid by General Auchinleck to the magnificent part played by the Indian troops in these campaigns, who first demonstrated their loyalty, and the efficiency of their training during the long months they were on the defensive facing an enemy immensely superior in numbers, and possessed of overwhelming superiority in the air, and then changing over to the offensive with an clan which was only to be expected of them. As General Auchinleck has stated the North African campaign would be regarded as one of the greatest achievements of British and Indian troops in shattering the Italian menace to Egypt, after which it became possible to transfer the Indian troops to north-east Africa where they have again been distinguishing themselves. Their appearance there was the signal for a general onslaught in Italian East Africa and the successes they have obtained have been a repetition of those secured in Libya, It is one of the outstanding features of the British imperial system that it is able to produce such loyal fighters as the Indian levies are proving themselves to be.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.