WHOLE OF AFRIKA KORPS USED

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 289, 4 September 1942, Page 6

WHOLE OF AFRIKA KORPS USED

Recent Probing NEW ZEALANDERS IN SORTIES (British Official Wireless.) (Received September 4, 12.30 a.m.) RUGBY, September 3. _ An outline of events to date inthe desert operations was given to the Press by General Montgomery at his headquarters yesterday. General Montgomery said that on Sunday night the enemy carried out two raids before midnight. They were unsuccessful. The Australians stopped them flat in the north, while against the West Yorkshires they gained a little ground on our position, which was shortly afterward restored by an Essex regiment. We ourselves launched raids in the moonlight, and in one raid South Africans did well, taking 51 Italian prisoners. New Zealanders did equally well and captured 30. ’ At about 2 a.m. on Monday a German column moved forward to the northern end of the southern sector, and their armoured and mobile forces were used to get through into our minefield. To do so the entire Afrika Korps was used. Attacks Not Pressed.

By 10 a.m. it was ■ evident the enemy was aiming north-east, and by 5 p.m. they were probing our positions, but they did not press the attack. During the night our air forces were most,active on the enemy’s concentrations.

For its part, the army made three successful raids in the north and central sectors. Australians , took 100 prisoners, South Africans 12, and New Zealanders, -though not capturing any prisoners, wrought havoc in the enemy’s lines with their favourite weapon—the bayonet. On Tuesday the enemy contented himself with probing our southern positions with his Afrika Korps. It was a good day in the air, with the R.A.F. bombing everything in sight. The enemy reacted by. carrying out heavy, raids.. On the same day at 5.30 p.m. the enemy launched an attack on three points. We took them up, and they withdrew without pressing their attack against our armoured forces and artillery, which were ready to meet them.

During the night the air forces alone were active. Up to 3 p.m. yesterday it had been quiet, with no armoured clashes, while in the southern sector there was some shelling and bombing.

CAIRO NOT REGARDED AS OPEN CITY

Attitude Of Berlin (Received September 3, 11.55 p.m.)

NEW' YORK, Sept. 2.

The Stockholm correspondent of the ‘■New York'Times” says that official military circles'in Berlin hint that Rommel will not regard Cairo as an open city because “it contains military objectives," and therefore a merciless, bombardment can be expected. The Germans base their attitude on an alleged report of M. Charles Corbin, former French Ambassador in London, which they claim tb have discovered in.the State archives in.Faris, that the British Government' classified Cairo as an important military, base.