BETTER OUTLOOK

Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 April 1941, Page 5

BETTER OUTLOOK

NAZI ADVANCE LOSING IMPETUS CONSIDERABLE BRITISH REINFORCEMENTS. AIR SUPREMACY LIKELY TO BE DECISIVE. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, April 15. The military situation in Libya has greatly improved in the last two or three days, says the Cairo correspondent of “The Times.” Not only has the impetus of the German advance been slowed down perceptibly as the natural obstacles to lengthy desert advances have made themselves felt, but also the British forces which were left in Libya when the Italians disappeared have been considerably reinforced. New Zealand, Australian, British, and Indian troops have taken up strong defensive positions in Egypt. Around Alexandria are contingents of Free Poles and Czechoslovakians. Apparently the British hold lower Solium.

With the R.A.F. completely superior and continually bombing the German supply columns, cohesion in the forward units is becoming ragged. Air' supremacy is likely to prove a decisive factor. A steady stream of planes is reaching Egypt, where there are high hopes that large numbers of American aircraft will shortly arrive via the newly-opened Red Sea route. The German commander is reported to have about 1600 tanks and a corresponding number of other vehicles. General Wavell’s problem, therefore, continues to be the reconstitution of a sufficient force about Mersa Matruh to meet a strong and swift German tank sweep into the deep defence positions from Mersa Matruh toward "the Nile Delta.

These are considered to be efficient, but experts would prefer more tanks to defence positions. They point out that only tanks can match the challenge of mobile desert forces.