MORE GROUND WON BY 8TH ARMY

Southland Times, Issue 24889, 31 October 1942, Page 5

MORE GROUND WON BY 8TH ARMY

PRISONERS TAKEN, TANKS DESTROYED (United Press Association— Telegraph Copyright) (Rec. 1 a.m.) LONDON, October 30. The Bth Army has gained further ground in attacks on Axis forces on the El Alamein front. More prisoners have been captured and more Axis tanks destroyed. The Allies continue to hold air superiority though Axis planes were more numerous on Wednesday than they have been lately. “There are encouraging features about the developing battle so far. We have bitten deeply into Rommel’s position,” says The Daily Telegraph’s Western Desert correspondent. “Our advance is slow, but could not be otherwise. We are not permitted to mention the number of Axis tanks destroyed but the enemy lost more tanks on Tuesday than on any previous day. The proportion of heavy tanks lost is also higher.” The commander of a British armoured unit which has been in the thick of things since the offensive opened states that Axis losses on his front were comparatively heavy. The British were able to recover a large proportion of their knocked-out tanks. Many suffered only damage to tracks and they were mostly again in action 12 hours after being damaged. Persistent Italian attempts to run tankers into Tobruk despite severe losses suggest that the fuel problem is becoming urgent. The enemy air force is more markedly on the defensive and often deliberately avoids combat.