STORMING OF ENEMY OUTER DEFENCES

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 30, 30 October 1942, Page 5

STORMING OF ENEMY OUTER DEFENCES

Difficult Minefields (Received, October 29, 10 p.m.) LONDON, October 28. The British United Press correspondent with the Eighth Army, in a delayed dispatch dated October 26, says: “Crouching in an observation post all night on Sunday I watched our troops carry a position at the bayonet point. By dawn a strong Italian and German force was pocketed on a strip commanded by our artillery. “The enemy threw in Italian tanks as a stop-gap, most of which were of the type called ‘Thirteens.’ Our sixpounders quickly got to work and the Italians did not relish their cannonfodder role. Many jumped from their burning machines with their hands upraised. The Germans showed their usual skill in an emergency and quickly rushed up mobile infantry, tanks, antitank guns and the deadly 88 m.m. gurus which they massed in front of the bridgehead we Lad gouged in the Italian and German lines.

“The enemy has lost the outer defences, but holds positions mainly composed of anti-tank guns linked with minefields. They are as good as a solid front line. Whenever Field-Marshal Rommel realizes that we are likely to break in, be sends tanks to engage and delay us while his sappers sow new mines. When our tanks try to cope with the mines the 88-millimetre guns go into action.”

UNPRECEDENTED AIR CO-OPERATION

Eighth Army Hitting Hard (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, October 28.' Speaking in London today, Lord Oroft, joint Parliamentary ‘Secretary for War, referred to the present offensive in Egypt. ‘.‘Last Friday night, in bright moonlight,” he said, “the Imperial Army opened an offensive in what certainly is a battle of great moment.. Here, for the first time, no flanking manoeuvre is possible, and we are assailing a well-fortified line, widely protected by elaborate minefields, in. a frontal attack. “The enemy’s defence system is in great depth, and has to be cleared of mines and pierced by the infantry before armoured vehicles can hope to operate against the powerful artillery which the enemy disposes and get to grips with the panzers. This involves bloody fighting, but there is no alternative if Rommel’s veterans are to be shifted from their menacing position so near the Egyptian capital. “In this great offensive three fine British infantry divisions were in the spearhead of the attack, along with Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans and Indians. We know-that the British armoured divisions are close on their heels, and our Fighting French and Greek allies are in the show with us.. “We all realize what a tough proposition. we are up against. But we also know that air co-operation has been on a scale our- soldiers have not previously experienced. Above all, we know that the morale of tho whole Eighth Army is very high. Once again it is a soldiers’ battle, in which we must assume that there is intense hand-to-hand fighting.. Objectives Gained and Held. “We know that our infantry have made good progress in the north, where the three objectives allotted to them have been mostly gained and held. We know that we have punched hard, that in the first two days 1500 prisoners reached our cages, and that counterattacks against our Highlanders and Australians have been driven off. “We know by now that there may be a gap or gaps through which our maini armour may be able to deploy. But we also know that this battle is just as vital to Rommel as to ourselves and that he will throw in literally everything to prevent a break-through. We know that his highly-experienced armoured and infantry divisions are waiting to meet our armour the moment it is able to deploy.” Lord Croft said that up to the present the Imperia) armies, fighting on 13 fronts, had inflicted more than 650,000 casualties on the Axis.

AXIS PLANES MAULED

Big Desert Air Battle (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, October 28. A Cairo dispatch describes a big air battle on "Wednesday afternoon when Australian and American pilots engaged 60 enemy aircraft. The Americans, who were in wedge formation coming back from a raid over El Daba, were greatly outnumbered, but by the time they had shot down seven enemy planes, a fighter squadron of the R.A.F. arrived and joined in the encounter.

Two Stukas were shot down and: six others were probably destroyed or damaged. Allied pilots also shot down a Macchi. Our losses- were two pilots. The enemy lost .10 aircraft, while many more limped home in a crippled condition. Torpedo planes commanded by Australians co-operated with South African and American bombers in smashing an Axis convoy off Tobruk on Monday. In a brilliant operation which was carried ’out in the face o-f an intense barrage from four escorting destroyers, and in spite of an umbrella of enemy fighter planes, the Allied machines sank two of the three ships in the convoy. Reconnaissance yesterday confirmed that two of the ships were sunk and the third, which remained afloat, was a smouldering wreck. It is probable that all hands on these two ships were lost. A dawn attack on.-the : Axis

ground at Fuka on Tuesday was a real Allied operation. American bombers which swooped at daylight caught the Italians and Germans unprepared, dive-bombed and machinegunned planes, trucks, and tents. Italian fighters got into the air and four were shot down by the Allied fighter escort. An Englishman, a Scotsman, a Canadian, and an Australian cacli got one.

As American fighter-bombers completed an afternoon raid on the landing grounds at El Daba 20 Messerschmitts, 20 Stukas, and 20 Caprouis came in -from the sea. The Americans, accompanied by airmen of the R.A.F. and the South African Air Force, immediately attacked, though heavily outnumbered, and shot down three Messerschmitts, four Capronis, and two 'Stukas, and also a ptray Macchi, for the loss of one R.A.F. plane and one -South African machine.

NIGHT STUKA RAIDS ON N.Z. POSITIONS

CAIRO, October 28. Night Stukn .raids against the New Zealand positions on Ihe El Alamein battlefront have caused a few casualties among our troops. Again yesterday New Zealand forces weremot engaged in any major fighting. Nothing more can be oaid at this stage of the New Zealanders’ present activities.