HEAVY CLASHES YET TO COME

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

HEAVY CLASHES YET TO COME

Comparative Lull In

Desert

(Rec. 7 p.m.) LONDON, October 29. News of the latest Western Desert developments remains of the scantiest, but it is not believed in Cairo tonight that heavy armoured clashes have yet occurred. There was a comparative lull yesterday when the Allies were consolidating and reorganizing. There was only major tank skirmishing yesterday. The Allied Air Forces’ successes against enemy tankers is leading to the belief in Cairo that the Axis petrol situation in Libya may soon become acute. , There was no forward movement by the Bth Army on Wednesday, says Reuters’ Cairo correspondent, and the scale of the tank engagements was nothing approaching the big clash of the previous day which itself was not on an all-out scale. , It is stated in London that Tuesday s armoured clash probably did not involve more than a small proportion of the full armoured strength on either side. In comparison with the previous Libyan tank battles it could rank only as a skirmish but it may well have been the curtain-raiser for a much bigger armoured battle. VITAL LINK On the western side of the ridge they captured on October 23 the New Zealanders are firmly in position, forming a vital link in the new desert front, says the official war correspondent with the N.Z.E.F. in a delayed dispatch from the El Alamein front. On October 24 the infantry could only remain low in their slit trenches, leaving to the artillery and machine-guns counter activities to the persistent fire from enemy gun positions and machine-gun posts. Our tanks were there too, returning determined anti-tank gunfire and silencing many machine-guns. It was a difficult day for the infantrymen after a night of hard fighting but the weary troops have long been used to this type of warfare and were not to be caught moving. The artillery gave the enemy little respite during the night. Further gaps were made in the minefields. It was hazardous work for the forces engaged for an alert enemy took strong measures in an endeavour to prevent it.

One strong patrol went out and surprised the crews of three anti-tank guns. They captured all the guns and the crews and a lorry as well. The lorry and one gun they brought back to our lines, leaving the other two guns in positions where they could not be retrieved by the enemy. AXIS REPORTS Today’s Italian communique says: “The violent battles which have been going on for several days on the El Alamein front continued yesterday with powerful British attacks against the Axis forces which offered bitter resistance. The Axis forces destroyed several dozen tank formations.” The German communique states: “The bitter fighting in/Egypt increased on the fifth day of our defensive battle. Despite very heavy attacks and the use of an unusually great amount of ammunition the British were unable to gain successes. We captured several hundred prisoners.” The German News Agency reports that the British forces have succeeded in making a slight penetration along the railway line between Alexandria and Mersa Matruh but the wedge has been sealed off and is now under a murderous artillery fire from German batteries pounding in from the flank.