ROMMEL RETREATS

Evening Star, Issue 24293, 7 September 1942, Page 3

ROMMEL RETREATS

Strong Allied Pressure Heavy Losses Inflicted On Enemy (British Official Wireless.) Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright (Deceived 11 a.in.) RUGBY, September 6. A continued enemy retreat under strong pressure is announced by General Headquarters in Cairo in the following statement During Friday night our patrols in the northern sector continued. Yesterday in the southern sector the enemy continued his withdrawal westward under strong pressure from our mobile columns and artillery. His main concentrations are now again west of our minefields, through which they first advanced on the night of August 30. Since then the enemy forces in the area, consisting of the German Afrika Corps, including the Fifteenth and Twenty-first Panzer Divisions and the Nineteenth Light Division, with Italian armoured and mobile elements, suffered severe losses in tanks, vehicles, and personnel as the result of constant pressure of our land and air forces. In spite, of evpry effort, the enemy failed to penetrate our main defensive system at any point. “ Regardless of unfavourable weather our bombers and fighter-bombers yesterday continued to harass the withdrawing enemy on the southern sector. Last night our heavy bombers attacked Tobruk, while a combined Anglo-American force attacked Crete. Our Malta fighters shot down one enemy fighter and damaged others when the enemy attempted a fighter sweep over the island. In the early hours of yesterday pilots of a night fighter squadron operating in the Alexandria area shot down two Cant Z 10007 s, both of which crashed into the sea, also an unidentified German bomber, which crashed in the desert.”

The latest Cairo message says there have been no big land engagements or air offensive during the past 24 hours. At the same time, while the Axis forces have withdrawn back to where they started a week ago, Allied forces in the south have maintained their attack. _ The Axis losses have been far greater than those of the Allies. It is emphasised in despatches that the withdrawal back through the minefield of the enemy should not be called a full retreat. The cautious view that is being taken is that the Axis forces have gone back to the positions from which they started a week ago, and that they have been considerably weakened in strength and striking power. Correspondents a erree that the withdrawal is a success of generalship tor General Montgomery iu liis first trial of strength and tactics in the desert campaign.