FATE OF LIBYA

Wairarapa Times-Age, 16 June 1942, Page 3

FATE OF LIBYA

MAY BE DECIDED IN NEXT 24 HOURS CRITICAL STAGE IN BATTLE. SWEEPING ITALIAN CLAIM. (Received This Day, 11.30 a.m.) LONDON, June 15. The -next 24 hours may decide the fate of Libya. Military experts in Cairo declare that everything depends on the ability of the Allies to hold the Axis forces back from Tobruk. The “Evening Standard’s” Cairo correspondent states that there is every indication that the battle has reached a critical stage. Reuter’s Cairo correspondent reports that very fierce fighting continued today, with heavy casualties in both sides. A special Italian communique claims that Axis forces by-passed Acroma and reached the Mediterranean. It is added that all big enemy units which remain to the west are encircled.” EARLIER NEWS FORCES GRATE AGAINST EACH OTHER. PRELIMINARY SPARRING. (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) LONDON, June 15. “General Ritchie’s main armoured forces are exected to clash with Gen-

eral Rommel’s full tank strength at any hour,” said the “Daily Mail’s” correspondent in the Western Desert last night. “For nearly two days the preliminary sparrings have been going on all over the desert, and so far only the edges of the opposing armoured forces nave grated against each other. The fighting occasionally blazed to major proportions, but died down again. “Rommel, who is dictating the moves in this game, initiated a series of tactical manoeuvres which appear to be complicated and confused, but certainly have a big, definite purpose.”