HEAVY FIGHTING IN DESERT

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 287, 2 September 1942, Page 5

HEAVY FIGHTING IN DESERT

Attack By Strong Axis Columns REPULSED IN CENTRE LONDON, September 1. The month-old lull on the El Alamein front was broken early yesterday morning by an Axis attack on the Eighth Army’s southern flank, 25 miles south of El Alamein. Today’s communique from the Cairo headquarters states that strong enemy columns approached our positions in the southern sector, they were engaged by our forces, and fighting continued in this area throughout the day. An enemy attack in the early morning in the central sector was repulsed. A number of enemy planes was shot down by our ground forces during the day. Though dust curtailed air operations, a number of successful bombing attacks was made on enemy transport. In air combat seven enemy planes were shot down.

An earlier announcement by the War Office, reporting the attack in the neighbourhood of El Himeimat, a hill 200 ft. high on the northern fringe of the Quattara Depression, said that for some days past there had been signs of renewed activity on Rommel’s front. “It is not yet certain,” the statement added, “whether the enemy’s offensive is on a major scale. A weak enemy thrust, mainly by Italians, against our main front was repulsed with losses to the enemy.”

PERSISTENT ALLIED BOMBING

Targets On Land And Sea

(British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, August 31. Medium bombers and naval aircraft strafed and 'bombed the Egyptian battle area, machinegunning motor transport on Saturday night, according

to a Cairo message. Several fires were started and explosions were heard. Last night also a force of medium bombers attacked Tobruk with good results.

American medium and heavy bombers participated in Saturday night’s raid on Tobruk. They also started several fires and observed large explosions on an enemy landing ground to the east of Mersa Matruh. Anti-aircraft fire was moderate and there were no night fighters. All our planes returned safely.

A Cairo communique reports that on Saturday night our bombers and tor-pedo-carrying aircraft successfully attacked shipping off the Cyrenaican coast. Three ships were hit, two being left ablaze. In combats over the El Alamein area yesterday our fighters destroyed at least three Messerschmitts arid damaged others. An enemy tanker in the Mediterranean was left blazing from stem to stern. Two enemy planes were destroyed last night during smallscale activity over our base landing grounds.