EARLY BATTLE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 June 1942, Page 3

EARLY BATTLE

EXPECTED NEAR MERSA MATRUH ENEMY BID FOR SUEZ CANAL. USE OF PARACHUTISTS POSSIBLE. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.30 a.m.) RUGBY, June 26. Although an important battle for the defence of Egypt is generally expected to take place immediately, in the neighbourhood of Mersa Matruh, this morning’s report from Cairo shows that at least to the end of yesterday the British main forces had not been engaged. Presumably the enemy has been bringing up his main forces to the positions reached by his advanced troops, 30 miles west of Mersa Matruh. Neither the speed of the Axis advance into the Western Desert nor the British decision not to fight on advanced frontier positions have caused much surprise. The enemy was expected to disregard any sacrifices to obtain the of the Suez Canal and upset the Middle Eastern position. Therefore an immediate attempt to overrun the Mersa Matruh defences is expected before the defenders have time to reorganise. Another possibility widely envisaged is that of landings by parachutists, for which preparations have long been reported in progress in Crete. A “Times” corresponded • Lies: “The defences of Mersa M-itrim are believed to be of a certain strength and such fortifications as have been carried out have been increased in effectiveness by the nature of the country. To the west lies an area of soft sand, broken by deep wadis or watercourses, which have been cut by rare but heavy rains running off the Taref Mountains. The so-called Quattera depression, a big salt pan, affords some protection against a wide turning movement, bfit its chief value is that it forces the enemy to fight on ground less favourable to him than that of the frontier and does not constitute a dangerous potential trap for its garrison, as did the bottleneck at Solium.”