ONWARD GRIND IN DESERT

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 29, 29 October 1942, Page 5

ONWARD GRIND IN DESERT

Enemy Tank Bid Defeated

LONDON, October 28. The Eighth Army has driven off an Axis tank force after the biggest armoured clash of the present offensive. Today’s Cairo communique says that during Monday night our forces made further progress. Yesterday, an armoured clash on a larger scale than hitherto developed. After heavy fighting the enemy was driven off with considerable losses. Our own losses in tanks were light.

(By Telegraph.—Press Assn. —-Copyright.) (Received October 28, 8.30 p.m.) LONDON, October 27. Since penetrating the enemy minefields, the Eighth Army has been engaged in hard and bitter fighting with the object of gaining elbow room within the enemy’s forward positions. The Allied forces gained ground at two points during 'Sunday night and on Monday. The Italians and Germans are frequently counterattacking in an attempt to halt this nibbling process, but are unable to mount powerful counter-blows because the Allies’ air force crews strongly intervene whenever sizable enemy concentrations are sighted.

Twice yesterday the air force broke up enemy formations before they were able to deploy. Little graphic detail can be added to this outline, because war correspondents’ dispatches are apparently held up by the censor. Only .messages couched in the most general terms have been received in London hitherto.

Only minor tank clashes are so far reported. Fighting is mainly between infantry, with heavy artillery support. Reuter’s Cairo correspondent states that there is much bitter hand-to-hand fighting, involving the New Zealanders, Australians, South Africans and British troops. The 51st Highlanders have been in the thick of it. The correspondent of “The Times” with the Eighth Army says that light bombers, medium bombers and fighters all day maintain an effective umbrella over the troops-and night fighters give similar protection at night, certain squadrons being specially trained for this work. They sallied out on a really large scale- for -the first time on Sfmday. and followed up last evening when Stukas attempted to take advantage of the falling dusk to launch a surprise blow against our forward positions. Night fighters, last evening shot down three iStukas and long-range fighters strafed enemy convoys southeast of -Sidi Barrani, where a number of petrol lorries were set on Are. Slightest Gains Important.

“Action ilong the whole front is being characterized by big guns on our side,” says the British United Press correspondent. “While along some sections of the front the Allies’ gains are being consolidated, operations elsewhere are aimed at destroying enemy pockets left behind during the initial advance. There is no concealing the fact that, a hard task faces the Eighth Army in battering down the concentrated enemy forces, and thus even the slightest gains of ground are important over -terrain where, for the past four months, the enemy has been digging in behind a protective screen of minefields, with considerable defences in depth.” It is widely accepted by the Press military commentators that at least several days must elapse before anything like a decision can be achieved. “The Times” says that experience in such actions shows that such struggles as the one now to be expected are apt in the early stages to sway grimly backward and forward over the same ground for many days, before the resistance of the enemy can be broken and the way cleared for an armoured assault. Field-Marshal Rommel today occupies a stronger defence position than any he has held in the North African war, and has had abundance of time to fortify it to a great depth. The Allied infantry successfully traversed the minefield and demolished some of the other lines of his system, and substantial numbers of prisoners have been taken, but the onset of the armoured forces, which is the main battle, has barely begun.

SMASHING OF AXIS LIBYAN CONVOY

LONDON, October 27. The Axis convoy which was on the way to Libya when it was smashed. up by Allied planes comprised three ships, with four escorting destroyers, and planes overhead. Allied heavy and light bombers and torpedo-planes attacked relentlessly in the face of terrific fire from the destroyers. Only one Axis supply ship escaped. • . • ■ „ The Allied air forces are. maintaining a continuous-shuttle service in the attack against enemy concentrations, strong points, and supply lines.