ALLIED WEDGES HAVE ROMMEL WORRIED

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 169, 20 July 1942, Page 3

ALLIED WEDGES HAVE ROMMEL WORRIED

BATTLE FOR RIDGES

Axis Fails To Dislodge Empire Forces

U.P.A. and British Wireless Rec. 1 p.m. LONDON, July 19. General Sir Claude Auchinleck retains the initiative in Egypt, according to the latest dispatches from Cairo. The British wedges at Ruweisat and Te) el Isa are obviously worrying Rommel, who is doing his utmost with armoured forces, artillery, infantry and planes to press them back. New Zealand and Indian troops have succeeded in strengthening their hold on the Ruweisat Ridge despite fierce enemy attacks. A determined thrust against the Indian positions on Friday morning failed. Australians and South Africans, in a dawn attack on Friday, advanced six miles into enemy territory and captured the El Makhrad Ridge and Ruin Ridge, a few miles from the Egyptian coast. The Germans and Italians hit back heavily with tanks, infantry and Stukas, forcing the Australians to evacuate Ruin Ridge. Despite the retirement, the Allies gained control of 20 square miles of enemy territory. Big Fires from Allied Bombs The Allied Air Force continued its heavy pressure on the enemy yesterday. The Air Ministry news service says that in three attacks on enemy transport pilots saw five hits on targets which caused considerable damage. Violent explosions were heard and a number of fires seen. Fighter bombers concentrated on similar targets with success, a number of vehicles being destroyed and others damaged. There was a noticeable increase in Italian air activity over the desert.

Heavy bombers of the R.A.F. and United States Army made daylight attacks on enemy supplies and shipping in the harbours of Tobruk, Bardia and Bomba. At Tobruk direct hits were scored on a large supply ship and a tanker, which were set on fire. A smaller ship received a direct hit at Bomba.

An agency correspondent states that many thousands of gallons of petrol were destroyed by naval aircraft at Mersa Matruh on Friday night. Aircraft dived on the dump and dropped incendiaries, whicn started a fire that could be seen many miles away. The petrol had just been unloaded, and near misses were made on a petrol ship in the harbour. Meanwhile other naval squadrons bombed heavy concentrations of enemy tanks and transports behind the German lines. South-west of El Alamein they put sticks of bombs across some 2000 vehicles, starting numerous fires.

After forcing the Australians to evacuate Ruin Ridge, the Germans attempted to push the attack further, but were halted by British, Australian and South African artillery. Late at night the Australians again drove into the Germans in a silent attack, recapturing the ground they had lost. Tnen the Australians went out in raiding columns, severely beating up Italian infantry and inflicting considerable casualties. General Auchinleck's Influence An officer writing from Cairo, on General Auchinleck's personal influence, states that he visited Army Headquarters and found the Com-mander-in-Chief "careering around the battlefield in a Jeep, flying the Union Jack, dining under the stars and sleeping under a war lorry." The Germans are still sending reinforcements to Egypt, through Greece and Crete, says an Ankara message. Heavier materials are being sent via Naples and Bengasi. A large number of new tanks are reported to have arrived in Italy to replace those Rommel has lost. The Tass Agency quotes a Geneva report that Rommel Is using French ships and French communications to supply his North African army. Fifty-three ships left Marseilles between June 1 and 25 in the direction of Algeria, or via Spain. Twenty ships loaded at Toulon between June 1 and 25 from warehouses which were under German naval guard. Enemy Night Attack Repulsed To-day's joint Middle East war communique states that in the northern sector our troops maintained their positions yesterday. In the central sector Allied troops advanced slightly. In the evening a counterattack by the enemy was repulsed. Our troops in the southern sector were active and made progress. Air operations were restricted, but on two occasions fighter-bombers attacked enemy dispersed vehicles. During the night our heavy bombers attacked Tobruk. Air activity over Malta was on a reduced scale. From these operations three of our aircraft aie missing, but one of the pilots is safe. The fighting for Ruweisat as seen from the observation post of a British patrol is described vividly by a correspondent. He says it was the enemy's final "fling" of the da>. Swirling clouds of (lust in the shallow depression moved slowly forward, and Allied guns poured a cannonade into the advancing troops. Enemy guns blazed away in the hot plain below. For more than an hour not a second passed without a gun being fired. The attack °n> though at times it was impossible to see a single man, a single truck or a single tank. It was only a great mass of dust and smoke. j , The German advance was gradually slowed down, visibly wavering in the face of the mighty wall of gunfire. Then it was halted. The valley in which this ridge stands is hot and barren. There is no vegetation except sandy camel scrub, and it ia in this vast valley that thousands of shells have been fired by both sides.