ENEMY LINE’S COLLAPSE

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 36, 6 November 1942, Page 5

ENEMY LINE’S COLLAPSE

Official Account ROMMEL’S GREAT LOSSES (British Olllolal Wireless.) RUGBY, November 4. A Middle Hast communique announced: “The Axis forces iu the Western Desert are in full retreat after 12 days and nights of ceaseless attacks by our land forces. “General Von Stumme, a senior general Who was said to have been in command during Field-Marshal Rommel’s absence in Germany, is known to have been killed. . So far we have captured more than 9000 prisoners, including General Ritter von Thoma, commander of the German Afrika Korps, and a number of other senior German and Italian officers. “It is known that the enemy's losses in killed and wounded have been exceptionally high. Up to date we have destroyed more than 260 German and Italian tanks and captured or destroyed at least 270 guns. “Isolated enemy columns ate being relentlessly attacked by our land forces and the Allied air forces by day and night. . “Our air forces have destroyed and damaged in air combat more than 300 aircraft and destroyed or. put out of ‘ action a like number on the ground. At sea our naval and air forces have sunk 50,000 tons and damaged as much again of shipping carrying Axis supplies to North Africa. “The Eighth Army continues to advance.” A Cairo dispatch says that the Italians in one sector asked for an armistice to enable them to bury their dead. According to the Cairo corresponds ent of the Associated Press, the enemy coastal pocket has now been completely Overrun. GREATEST OF AIR ONSLAUGHTS Everything Thrown At Retreating Enemy (Received November 5, 8.15 p.m.) LONDON, November 4. Reuter’s correspondent from a forward aerodrome says: “The first report of tlie Axis rout was Hashed back . to this aerodrome early yesterday afternoon, when the Eighth Army’s land forces signalled thtjit (he enemy was beginning to full buck to the west, “It was the moment the Allied forces were waiting for, and the call went out to the squadrons to scud in every available bomber and lighter. The weight of our air attacks had been heavy, but the tempo of out operations seemed to be doubled. “Waves of planes within a few minutes took off from every desert landing ground. The air was shattered by the mighty roar of the engines of scores •f planes of all types. Tired, sweating, •il-grimed ground crews ‘thumbed up’ the air crews as they departed west; ward. “The first waves of planes returned after 15 minutes, whereupon the ground crews worked feverishly to load up more bombs, and the proces- * siou continued all afternoon. Thu ground crews, too tired even to talk, kept the bombers turning about. Enemy Powerless. “Nothing like this htjs ever been seen before. The bombers Went out with the barest fighter cover to attack an epemy who was powerless to offer effective defence. The Italians i|iiil Germans suffered the most “Solent and grim air attack thqt has been seen in North Africa.” All the Allied air forces participated, and the commander of the American divert air force, Prigadier-Getteral Strickland, who was in the leading bomber of one formation, said: “I never shw such a scene of destruction. Every bomber of our formation sailed down the road, spilling its bombs on vehicles and men. Returning pilots told of scattered German convoys and blazing lorries, .and tanks, of mess tents blown into the air, and of Germans and Italians racing madly for shelter. A young American major who led a squadron in a sweep to shoot

up enemy forward troops, said : “We are blowing hell out of them. The weight of bombs we aro dropping is steadily mounting. This is the first, time the Germans have had such a colossal air battering rain turned against them. It .is plain that already they are unable to take it.” An Austrlian soldier who fought in Greece and in the earlier North Africa battles said as he watched the passing of westbound Allied bomber formations: “These are ihe dtiyp. We have got, the sturt', and are setting about the business In n very different way from the old days. There is no stopping tjs.” Eight Thousand Attacks.

Since the Allied offensive in Egypt started the light bombers, fighter-bomb-ers am] fighters have made more, than 8000 sorties against the Axis forces, averaging nearly 800 a day) Allied medium bombers surpassed all records lust night, when for nine hours they pounded the retreating Axis forces. Pilots, many of whom bombed almost from ground-level, told of Axis vehicles careering wildly off the roads, with enemy troops running panic-stricken for cover. It was a story of blasted enemy transport, shattering explosions, and masses of fires too numerous io count, specially between El Diiba and tlio battlefield, indicating that the enemy is burning stores while evacuating positions.