READY TO STRIKE ANOTHER HARD BLOW

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

READY TO STRIKE ANOTHER HARD BLOW

N.Z. FIGHTING GROUPS

No Time Lost Reforming After Withdrawal (N.Z.E.F. Official War Correspondent.) CAIRO, July 19. In a dispatch dated from Ruweisat Ridge on July 17 the correspondent says:— No time has been lost in reorganising the New Zealand battle formations after their withdrawal from Ruweisat Ridge. Two days after they were over-run by German tanks., our fighting groups are again up to full strength in guns, and ready to strike another hard blow at the Afrika Korps. There has been little activity on their sector of the front since the Ruweisat battle. The New Zealand artillery yesterday drove off two tank attacks and gave support to our armoured forces during a tank battle last night. One attack by German tanks and lorried infantry was hammered for two hours by our 25-pounders when they were within 5000 yards of the New Zealand positions. Many trucks were set on fire, and by nightfall the tanks were halted. While attempting to withdraw they were engaged by hostile batteries, thought to be with headquarters of the 21st Panzer Division.

To-day the chief activity on our front has been occasional periods of long-range shelling by the enemy's heavy guns and one dive-bombing attack. German Stukas dropped several sticks of anti-personnel bombs on one of our formations, which suffered a fe\fr casualties. Some New Zealanders who escaped after enemy tanks broke through our line on Ruweisat Ridge have managed to return to their units. It is thought that others are on their way back through British units on either side of the New Zealand section of the line.

A signals corporal who returned to-clay narrowly escaped capture twice after he had broken away from Germans on the ridge. Once he walked into a group of German tanks and could not escape until our 25pounder shells, landing about the tanks, caused confusion to the German crews. After spending a night in a hole within a few yards of enemy positions he navigated his way back to the New Zealand lines.