EIGHTH ARMY HITS STILL HARDER

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 33, 3 November 1942, Page 5

EIGHTH ARMY HITS STILL HARDER

Development Of Salient

REMARKABLE FIGHT OF BRITISH INFANTRY

(Bv Telegraph,—Press Assn.—Copyright.' ■ i m ? RUGBY, November L (Received November 2, 7 p.m.) . or de,w,nB m .„,X off by .Keeney, action, in which they claim to have knocked out 37 tanks.

The correspondent of the Associated Press of Great Britain on the El Alamein front says that within the minute of the Allied barrage on the nrevious night, when an advance was also made, more than 10Q0 shells fel on an area 0000 yards long and 400 yards wide. Baler the barrage reached tiie rate of 1500 shells a julnuto. That advance, according to a correspondent, was made-in the region of the coast, and a valuable area which overlooks the battle field was _C4P* tured, Though no decisive results were attained, rhe progress UP to today was regarded as satisfactory, Montgomery’s “Bulldozer.” General Montgomery is wearing down the enemy by sheer weight or shells, and no spectacular news is likely at present, as it is considered t that the task 01, reducing the enemy s strong defences may be fairly protracted. , , . It is reported that no big armoured clash has taken place yet, and fighting Is Mill largely being carried out by infantry, who form the spearhead or the attack. • . . ~„u “The Eighth Army is like a great bulldozer—a powerful battering rtpn punching, threatening, destroying, and doing a stilt job grinding at the opposition, say? im observer. “Our artillery put UP a hu„e gll-nigbt barrage again on » ridgy. The number of rounds fired runs into astronomiearfigures, This shelling alone must have been a terrific ordeal for the Aus soldiers* mid up behind the fulling shells go our infantry, .... “Many fine thing? this h)?t seven days will so dovyn Id the proudest pages of the regimental histories," The Germans who arc now opposing our infantry are tougher, and hotter trained than those who were met earlier, but their casualties are believed to be piling up in the enemy front line faster than replacements fire arriving, says Reuters correspondent. . More and more Germans are following Italians into captivity or being killed or wounded as the Eighth Army advances. A correspondent reports that the latest German prisoners are men who fought in Greece. Some of the Axis prisoners are very young, their average age being about 23, and they are very, very tired. During the last few tltjys the. nutuber of prisoners kgs almost doubled, NOT SPECTACULAR, BUT VITAL New Zealanders’ Role (Official War Correspondent,' N.Z.E.F,). CAIRO, October 31. The Now Zealanders’ part in the Eighth Army’s offensive against the Axis, though not as spectacular as their former actions on the Bl Alamoin front, nevertheless has been of considerable importapc?. Their operations at the moment canubi be discussed, but they still have a vital role. Two brigades' were in the forefront of the night attack when General Montgomery launched his drive just a week ago. Oue Auckland battalion and one South Island battalion which went to England were involved in heavy fighting against enemy mortar, machinegun, and anti-tank fire, but in spite of it, with their customary determination, they reached al (objectives. Tho other formation’ had an easier passage. Oiiee all tluf objectives bad been taken the New Zealanders spent the time in quick and effective consolidation. 'This time the New Zealanders had solid tank support, and the enemy had little chance of dislodging them. lie tried, put he failed, For the type of actions which the New Zealanders so far have fopglit since the Eighth Army went into it? new attack, the New Zealand ciiaqaltic? fire regarded us tmrpripingly light. FEAT OF TRANSPORT (British Official WireA-ss.) (Received November 2, 7 p.m.) RUGBY, November 1, “The feat of assembling the great military and air forces on the Egyptian front will appear no mean one when the story comes to be told,’ says “Scrutator" in the “Sunday Times." “To repair the June losses implied a tremendous strain on our organization. and shipping. The feat was helped by the immense amount of patient work that had been devoted in the past two years to improving our communications. Much equipment still has to make the long journey round tint C'ttpe, but much else travels across Central Africa by new roijtes. which save time qml risk, “The air strength, in purtieulai, can fur more readily be reinforced, and there no longer remains the same danger of its being suddenly swamped by swift transfers of Axis aircraft ROME’S EMPHASIS Unprecedented Weight Of Onslaught LONDON, November I. According to Berlin radio, 80,000 British and 200,0(10 Dominion troops, French ami Greek forces, are participating in the El Alameln offensive. Rome radio declared: "The present I,nt He in Egypt is flic greatest ever fought in Africa. Never Ims stteh an army been seen us that which Um British have built op. Never luive so ninny mecimnizeij units been used, Never lias ‘ the R.A.F, , l?-en more numerous or more ellicieut. ihe battle continues Willi unqlmled fury. The British coutiitije to htleuipt to break through the Axis lines with every means at their disposal," An Italian communique claim* that 2000 British prisoners have mm liven lll Th<’ German High Command, in a lengthy review of the past weeks lighting in North Africa, claims: "Nowhere did the British reach the main Axis defence positions, let alone break through them Land attacks were carried out, with fresh reserves frequently arriving, and in some places the enemy made pent ■mps which the Germans and Hanans straightened out. Fighting swayed to and fro over important ground. Ihe initial ntlneks attempted to widen gaps al |iotli“vnds of the front so us to encircle the Axis forces, but the British later concent rated their main attack til the north. Twice they attempted to hind near Mersa Mutruh, but they were frustrated.''

ENEMY BOXED UP ON COAST Non-Stop Battle BRITISH EFFORT TO BOLT DOOR (By Telegraph.—Press Assn. Copyright.) LONDON, November 2. Today's Cairo communique states that during Saturday night and yesterday morning the enemy attempted to attack our troops estabHslieil west of his positions between the railway and the coast. Our ihfitntry held flrm, but some enemy tanks succeeded in joining their infantry in their isolated positions. , No attempt was made by the enemy to break out in the hours of daylight yesterday. , ~ „ The enemy attempted one bomburn raid on our forward troops, but Allied fighters interposed, forced the enemy to jettison bombs on his own troops, and shot down seven Stukas. Two enemy merchant vessels were sunk yesterday morping when attempting io enter Tobruk Harbour.. From wide operations oyer the desert and Mediterranean one of our aircraft is missing. The British United Press correspondent with the Eighth Army says, “A non-stop battle has raged for 30 hours where we on Saturday drove a corridor to the sea by striking noi thward from a bulge which we had previously driven in the enemy's lines “We closed the door on a sallep! about three .miles square, and were bolting it by throwing in artillery, tanks and anti-tank guns. Before'we could push home the wedge, German infantry reopened the western tip by driving along the seashore. The enemy infantry advanced with the support ot heayy mortar fire. "The battle is raging along three sides of the square.” - . In the battle of El Alamein, said Benter’s Cairo correspondent in a dispatch which was lodged yesterday morning, the battlefield is strewn with burnt-out Gerpian tanks. Our casualties have not exceeded the estimate. So far approximately 3000 German and Italian prisoners have been taken.