LIBYAN CAMPAIGN

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 February 1942, Page 3

LIBYAN CAMPAIGN

NO CHANGE REPORTED IN GENERAL SITUATION. MIDDLE EAST COMMUNIQUE. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.35 a.m.) RUGBY, February 19. A Middle East communique states: “There was no change yesterday in the general situation in Cyrenaica.” LULL CONTINUES BOTH SIDES SPARRING. ANOTHER BATTLE LIKELY. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, February 18. A correspondent with the Eighth Army writes that the lull in operations in the Libyan Desert does not mean that either side has returned to the static type of warfare as was the case before the November offensive. Both sides are evidently sparring to regain their breath and strength, and there is no doubt that the desert will be blazing up again shortly. The battle—probably the most important which has yet taken place in Libya—will develop as soon as either the British or the Axis' command feels it has enough men, tanks, reserves and supplies to strike a decisive blow. Hitherto the British mobile patrols have had decidedly the best of every encounter with the enemy columns, which are evidently roving in the wilderness to feel the strength of the opponent. The correspondent concludes that, whenever the time comes, the Eighth Army will not be caught unawares, having learned a lot in the course of a second Libyan battle, in which General Rommel used every | imaginable trick. BRITAIN’S PLANS CLAIM BY GERMAN NAVAL SPOKESMAN. POLICY IN MIDDLE EAST. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, February 19. The German naval spokesman, ViceAdmiral Luetzow, broadcasting, declared that Mr Churchill in a speech on November 10, 1941, revealed to Germany Britain’s plans in the Middle East by the emphasis he laid on the Mediterranean front. The implementation of these plans would have enabled British to enforce a blockade against Germany even tighter than that of the last war. “After Churchill’s speech we received secret information that a British offensive was imminent,” he said. “We then began to launch attacks against the British Mediterranean Fleet. The thunderstorm about to break in Africa left us no choice but to send aid to General Rommel. “Our first task was to break the enemy’s crushing sea superiority, because the supply lines from Italy to North Africa were constantly severely menaced and suffered heavily. Thus we began ceaseless attacks on Malta, which is the main bas,e for British air and sea attacks. We were even forced to push the Battle of the Atlantic into the background and withdraw a great number of U-boats. ■ “These reinforcements enabled General Rommel to fight the battle of Sidi Rezegh, allowing him to withdraw westward according to plan to obtain supplies sent by air and sea and await additional troops.”