The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES.” GISBORNE, FRIDAY, JAN. 9, 1942. NEW MOVE IN LIBYA

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20659, 9 January 1942, Page 2

The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES.” GISBORNE, FRIDAY, JAN. 9, 1942. NEW MOVE IN LIBYA

To-day’s reports that General" Rommel’s forces are moving out of trie position that had . been. taken up at Jedabaya raises hopes that trie campaign in. Libya may. be,, drawing to a close. The lull in the fighting in this theatre has led to, a good deal of uncertainty as to trie position and created some doubts, as to whether the Allied. offensive wa§. meeting with the success that had been expected of it. Even now the situation is obscure. Only yesterday it was reported that the Axis forces had taken up strong, positions from which they were preparing to make a stand. Now these positions ave apparently being abandoned, and the question arises as to whether General Rommel is seeking battle with ,his opponents or attempting to retreat along the coast road to Tripoli. In either event, the Imperial forces should be prepared for him, but Rommel has already shown that, he is. no mean ..adversary arid it must be assumed that he has substantial forces still at his disposal. It will be surprising arid inexplicable, however, if his position has not deteriorated in ; the past few weeks. It is known that he has received, at the best, only scant reinforcements and supplies, whereas there should have been no limit to the support which could be brought up to the Allies.. On the face of it, tHe outcome should be assured.

Figures which have been released to-day make possible a somewhat closer appraisement. Qf .i,he situation. According, to j4ir Chiifchiil, the Axis started off with a force, of 150,000 in Libya. it is now disclosed that 20,000 prisoners have been captured, including 5500 Germans, and that others, have, yet .to-.he counted., It is estimated .that, ahrither 10,000 are contained in the Halfaya Pass area. It is reasonable to assume, therefore, that the original Axis force has been reduced by..., at least one-third to 100,000. This is still a substantial force, however, but it is likely that its equipment has been seriously depleted and it is undoubtedly lacking in the air support to which German t.roojjs haye hitherto been, accustomed. It seems riot. improbable that General Rommel finds tha]t he is not in a position to fight another pitched battle because of his lack of resources, and that he prefers to gamble on the chance of breaking through to .Tripoli; in other words, that he elects.to make a swift bold stroke rather than face a more prolonged action in which time and resources would inevitably place him at a serious disadvantage. If he could not succeed at Jedabaya it would mean the loss of his entire force. On the other hand, if he can break through at least part of his army would survive to make another stand at Tripoli. In the meantime, the North African campaign is being continued largely from the air, at places as far apart as Halfaya, Tripoli and Malta. Th'e Axis forces at Halfaya are obviously in a grave plight and their reduction can only be a matter of time. The attacks launched by the Royal Air Force in this region apparently surpass anything that has previously been attempted by the Allies and they must ultimately tell. At the same time, the Axis resistance also has few precedents and the enemy forces are succeeding in their only possible objective of delaying the Allied advance towards Tripoli. Tripoli itself has been consistently attacked from the air and it must be assumed that its defences have suffered considerable damage arid that the flow of reinforcements has been setiouSly interrupted , if not entirely stopped. In the centre of the Mediterranean, the island fortress of Malta has played a glorious arid invaluable part in the whole campaign ifi the Middle East. Not only has it withstood more attacks than any other base anywhere in the world—and the heroism of its people puts to shame some people in other parts of the Empire who quiver at the first sign of danger—but it has also maintained an offensive on Axis bases and thereby contributed in a large measure in stopping the flow of supplies to North Africa. It cannot be too strongly stressed that the operations in Libya,, like all other campaigns, is only part of one vast conflict. At the moment it is an extremely important part because obviously much depends on the ability of the Imperial forces to push on to Tripoli. If this can be achieved It will primarily exert considerable influence on the attitude of France, which already .gives some indication of resisting further German demands,

and may change the whole outlook of the French African possessions. More than that it will pave the way for a' possible Allied offensive, first against Sicily and later against Italy. These possibilities are clearly recognised by the Axis and it will be surprising If Hitler and Iris henchmen do not find themselves compelled to attempt some diversion in the Mediterranean area. Not the least, likely move, is an attempt to take Malta, for which the recent repeated air attacks may be a prelude. An attempted advance through Turkey is another possibility and a move through Spain and Tunis is also on the cards, although, perhaps, a little less likely. There are so many alternatives in this theatre, however, that every move, or threatened move, is pregnant with possibilities and it is for this reason that developments in Libya must be watched with the closest attention.