LIKE LAST WAR

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 28, 28 October 1942, Page 5

LIKE LAST WAR

Battle Of Attrition To Be Expected CONTINUAL SLOGGING AT ENEMY (By Telegraph.—Press Assm—Copyright.! LONDON, October 26. The third day of the Western Desert battle saw no further important advance by our troops. The correspondent of “The Tinies” with the Eighth Army says that the enemy’s defences were probed at various points and small pockets of opposition were mopped up. Broadly speaking, our troops are endeavouring to gain room for the armoured, force to deploy. No really large enemy tank concentration so'far has shown up. Hard fighting of the attrition type can be’expected for some days. The enemy’s positions have (been dieeply penetrated, Ibut it may be some time before the gains can be fully exploited and a way made for the armoured columns to operate in the open unhampered by minefields. The Axis defensive positions are elaborate and will have to be overcome by hard fighting, in which we can certainly count on stronger air support than the enemy, and also probably more nrmple reserves of men and material. If the strafing of the Axis communication lines in the last two months has prevented the enemy from building up,his reserves, the British command can hope to surmount the obvious difficulties of the tactical position and the strength of the defences by simply pounding till the enemy gives way through a shortage of supplies.

Non-Stop Air Blitz. Other sources state that the English, American, Australian and South African airmen are maintaining a nonstop air offensive. The smoke from innumerable fires is rising from the battle area and also from the enemy rear, where trucks and ammunition dumps have been destroyed. The enemy’s air activity increased markedly yesterday, and the Italians and Germans also maintained heavy and accurate anti-airerft fire, but the Allied airmen lost only three planes over the battle area, while shooting down at least seven enemy planes.

In spite of the increased enemy air activity, it is emphasized that this does not mean any slackening in the supremacy the R.A.F. lias over the Luftwaffe. The particular task of the Allied bombers and fighter-bombers has been to prevent the enemy, from concentrating his ground forces in the vital areas, and in this they have succeeded. ■ „,. American' bombers and fighterbombers are participating fully. The British United Press correspondent with the Eighth Army, Robert McMillan, says; “The British widened the breach in the German Rues, and the New Zealanders advanced. The Germans counter-attacked, but (were repulsed. • Australian forces held these attacks while Highlanders fought a battle with great gallantry over a strong point which the enemy was hotly disputing. ... Breach for Tanks. “In the past 24 hours Rommel’s care-fully-organized defence works have been severely, damaged by the olst Division and also by Australian, New Zealand and British Home troops, backed, uip by (South Africans and. Indians. Infantry attacks were also launched last night between the Meteiriya and Ruweisat Ridges. What has happened so far .is that wo have made a break into the enemy’s lines, and it is now the task of the tanks to make the job perfect with a clear. breakthrough. , „. , • A 8.8.'C. observer with the Eighth Army cabled the following survey of the lighting during the past two days and three nights:— “Though it is not possible to give details of the exact parts of the front • where the heaviest fighting has taken place, there are naturally certain zones where the Allied offensive has penetrated more deeply than in others. The operations cover the whole front, and are not limited to one sector only, as was 'the last German offensive of some weeks ago.” The correspondent warns against expecting an early decision in the battle. "So far the main points that seem to be emerging from the news are continuous artillery fire and infantry attacks, and the fact that though yesterday there were armoured clashes there has been nothing as yet in the nature of a major tank battle,” he says. “The encounter seems to be taking on more- of the aspect of a battle of the hist war than anything we have seen out here so far. However, there are no continuous trench lines as in the last war, but there is something distinctly reminiscent about the aerial preparations, the intense artillery fire, and infantry advancing to make a gap for faults rather than the tanks doing it for them. “The Eighth Army is fighting its way up, gradually widening the corridor, and on the scale of the present battle it is bound to be a highly-concentrated affair, at least till Mersa Matruli is reached. For the same reason, casualties must be expected on both sides—maybe heavy casualties —before there is a decision.”