British Tank Forces Not Yet in Action

Manawatu Times, Volume 67, Issue 210, 3 September 1942, Page 5

British Tank Forces Not Yet in Action

(By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright.) Received Wednesday, 10.35 p.m. LONDON, Sept. 2.

The Daily Mail's Cairo corresponden. says the Allied forces made no real attempt to stop Hommei's auvance, buonly to delay him. Therefore, his advance is regarded as slow and no pessimism is,elt here concerning it. From the Allies viewpoint the batcie has not yet begun, rionmul have mereiy moved into wnat ...yarded as a nuge nomansland. dispatches from ine desen. stale that rtanimei, atter an auvance or eight miles t.irougn the A.ut« minefields near L. Himeimat, swung ■ column nortn-east-wvard and anOmei uue north towards nuweisat Ridge. Tne Daily Te.w». up.i’s correspondent wren the fc.ighth Kortimei u» apparently seeking out our main tank .orce which General ivio...gomery is hoiaing in reserve until tne uerman coiumn nas been weakened by aruilery and air Wnetner the present operations in -yypt are a tun-sca.e olr»-nsive or mereiy .ocai, only the events or the next tew uays will snow, says the Times' corresponuent with tne Lig.uh Army. Under tn.. new coi.imanaer-in-c.iieT the Ligh.i. Army is in grqpc neart. Refreshed anu • enriurced u is eager ior action. Tnere .s iufl realisation ot the vital importantof throwing oacK tne enemy and it can cannuenL.y oe asserted tnat our men wu . gnt to tne linisn. ihe Allied ovncial attitude is neithewp..imistic nor pessnnistic, but realistic, ror reasons of military strategy anu poncy there is ukeiy to be little news roi .lie next tew days. The Times' military writer says b 0... -*ues have been strongiy reimorced sines cue last Tignting. Tne enemy iecenti> icceiveu one new German and one Itana. a.vision and tne enemy s force now apparently inciuues the German i-n fcW w.. and Ywenty-iourtn Armoured Divisions, -ne Nineceentn Light and 164 tn divisions, me Italian Ariete and Vittorio Armouren divisions and tne urescia, Pavia, Trento. e»o-.ogna and Pistoi Divisions. A German battalion has also been ident. Tied. Ail these formations are in the strategic battle zone but not necessarily close to .ne front. There may be otner Italian divisions in Tripoli. It is an extraordinarily powertui army to maintain in the desert through the shattered ports witn improvised facilities. There is reason to believe that the enemy's tank strength is not very high, also probably that the enemy does not possess army and corps troops in adequate etrength for an army of twelve divisions.