DECEMBER 9TH
Thanks in part to low flying aircraft which droned overhead, in part to to the tumult and fireworks display which from 0330 hours onward that 4/7 rajputs evoked along the eastern perimiter and in part to the casualness of the Italian sentries, who dismissed the noises in the night as those of routine reconnaisance by 7 armoured division, 44 tanks, 72 guns and 5,000 men had closed undetected upon their quarry.
An hour before dawn General Beresford-Pierse and Brigadier Savory moved foreward and took position on a small hillock. at 0630 hours the grey tide of dawn flooded upwards in the eastern sky. 2,000 yards away Nibeiwa lay sleeping. Lieut-Colonel A Anderson MC of the Camerons,
seo described the objective :-
" The camp was roughly rectangular in shape and coveredan area 2,400 by 1,800 yards. the defence perimiter was complete all the way round except for a small gap in the north-west corner, and built up in the form of a wall with sangars. The abscence of loose rock probably accounted for the shortage of dragons teeth around the camp. A special type of anti tank obstacle had been constructed on the eastern and southern faces. anti tank minefields were constructed all around the campexcept on the north-western face. There was no wire obstacles. machine gun and anti tank emplacements were built in every 25yds of perimiter, about 150 in all-twice as many emplacements as any other camp possesed. the centre of the camp was a mass of earthworks with a few tents and about 250 vehicles widely dispersed."
on such a scene the divisional artillery at 0700hrs began to register. simultaniously the british armour moved foreward with a battery of 25 field regiment under command, to snipe or cast smoke shell as required. only then did the Italians come to life, rushing to man their weapons. It was too late rank on rank of tanks came rolling out of the desert, with bren carriers out riding on their flanks, their machine guns uptilted in high angle fire. Gathering momentum as it closed this modern commando charge thundered into the north-western gap in the defences.
The rush won home with unexpected ease. no guns had been laid to cover the western approaches of nibeiwa, the perimiter in that sector was unmined, the ramps and ditches easily negotiable.The heavily armoured british tanks burst upon the italian light and medium tanks in leaguer outside the perimitr while they were warming up their engines.Within minutes the gritish guns smashed them to scrap metal: billows of black smoke arose.
Like iron rods probing a wasps nest the tanks thrust into the camp, each yard of advance brought to light swarms of the enemy. frightened,dazed or desperate Italians erupted from tents and slit trenchessome to surrender, others to leapo into battle , hurling grenades or blazing machine guns in futile belabour of the impregnable intruders. Italian artillerymen gallantry swung their pieces onto the advancing monsters, They fought until return fire from the tanks stretched them dead or wounded around their limbers. General Maletti, Italian commander, sprang from his dugout , machine-gun in hand. He fell deadfrom an answering burst, his son beside him was struck down and captured. Impervious and implacable, the tanks ground foreward, trampling down every obstacle, leaving death and disorder in their wake.
Fifteen minutes after the tanks struck the camp, a shout rang over the radio: "CAMERONS - GO" the Highlanders carrier platoon shot ahead in screen, the troop carrying lorriers wheeled in the dustand followed on the trail. Gradually quickening the pace, the carriersflashed through the gapin the perimiter, 500 yards behind them the troop lorries wheeled about. The infantry tumbled out and raced in hotfoot with bayonet, above the noise of battle shrilled the skirl of the pipes as the gravely pacing pipers playedin the charge. The camerons burst upon a scene of indescribably confusion, as masses of demoralised Italiansmilled about, some seeking to eascape, others belatedly seeking to organise some sort of resistance. Hundreds threw up their hands at the first flicker of the bayonets. 1/6 Rajputana rifles riding hard to the huntfollowed in and passed through the camerons and began to mop up in the northern and eastern expanses of the camp. here and there brave or hysterical handfulls refused the summons and fought on until shot down, but within an hour resistance was over, over 4000 men including 80 officers had been captured along with 23 tanks and scores of lorries.
From his vantage point Gen. Beresford-peirse had followed the progress. fifty minutes after the tanks onset the decision was secure, whereupon the Divisional Commander hastened to set the remainder of his men in motion. 5 Indian brigade which had followed up in the wake of 11 brigade moved off in as a pre-arranged detour to the west of the tummar group of camps 16 brigade followed up to a reserve position to the west of nibeiwa. 7 RTR eager for the next encounter endeavoured to break out through the camp perimiter. 7 tanks shed tracks on mines. Seargant Scobieof the camerons pioneer platoon , who had never examined a mine in his life, came to the rescue and cleared the way, raising several mines personally before allowing his men to deal with them. the undamaged tanks wriggled through the gap refuelled and hurried off on the trail of 5 brigade.
The next assault was timmed to go in at 1100 hrs. a time table which reflected the optimism in the air. As the columns swung into the north-west, the Italian airforce arrived and lost serveral machines in rash dive bombing attacks. one of the divisional artillery recon parties, on passing tummar west reportedthe parapetof that camp to be lined with soldiery peering into the south, aware from the columns of smoke and dust that something had happened but still ignorant of the menace at hand. The rising wind thickened the air with sand, which while blinding the Italians also reacted unfavourable on the attacking forces.All recon groups had difficlty in locating their objectives. Both brigadiers Lloyd and Mirlees, emerging from the murk to find large campos before them could not be surewether tummar east, tummar west or point 90 confronted them. nevertheless by 1200 hours 5 brigade was in position to the north west of Tummar west. at the same hour the I tanks arrived, laden with stored from Nibeiwa and bearing chalked notices in Italian on their sides inviting surrender. 25 field regiment likewise arrived whilst the rest of the artillery took up battle positions as at nebeiwa. by 1330hrs all was ready and at 1332 a concentrations of all guns availablr crashed upon tummar west.
This encampment was an oyster shape some 3 miles in length, with a tongue of ground running into the west. their were few if any proper defences with the anti tank ditch having many gaps in it. once again the tanks went in shooting up vehicles, strongpoints and dugout entrances. once again the italian artillerymen fought with extreme valour, dying around their guns. 20 mminutes behind the tanks New Zealand lorries of 4 reserve MT company bearing 1 royal fusiliers, closed up, comming under distant machine gun fire the troop carriers stepped up their speed to 30 miles per hour and raced to within 150 yards of the camp. out sprang the infantry and to a man the Kiwi drivers deserted their vehicles and charged beside the fusiliers, thus inaugurating the long association in bettle between 4th indian and 2nd new zealan divisions.
