News—we are launching an offensive in N. Africa, which I hope may divert a few Germans from Russia. Army, RAF, Navy, commanded by Cunningham, Conningham, and Cunningham! Good luck to us. I smashed stones with a hammer all the afternoon—good fun. zwf zru zsu
Friday 21st
… News—fierce fighting in Russia. We are 10 miles from Tobruk’s defences, to the S.E. [News]papers are rather losing their senses of proportion I think, they hide the Russian news away and have 2 inch headlines about some small German retreat. … zru zwf znw
A 3 mile away bomb in prep. zar
Sunday 23rd
… A good sermon by Max—one of the 3 best I’ve heard. … zrl ztc
After prep … we got PB [Pentire bar, i.e. the school hall] ready for the meeting. I gave my lecture [on badgers] first—it went off OK, and seemed to me to last 5 minutes, though I believe it lasted 20. … zcb zlu zwl
Monday 24th
We’ve got lots of Germans surrounded in a line from Fort Capuzzo (which we’ve got) to Jarabub to Tobruk. Tobruk forces made a sally. Australians in Badia, took 15,000 prisoners. Big tank battles, we’re using transport planes plus gliders. Russia: counter-attack in Rostov, very fierce fighting in Moscow area. zwf zlb zru
Tuesday 25th
… In JTC we did air dispersal—walking along in sections and spreading out fanwise when the whistle goes to lie on our faces. zct
A lecture in the evening on Russia by Sir Bernard Pares. V. good. He told the history of the Revolution—Trotsky being shoved out by Stalin, zlu zru
