GRIM EFFORTS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 July 1942, Page 3

GRIM EFFORTS

TO STEM THE AXIS DRIVE INTO EGYPT New Zealanders Beat Off Attacks Near Mersa Matridi AND FIGHT THEIR WAY OUT AFTER BEING SURROUNDED AUCHINLECK SUPERSEDES RITCHIE IN COMMAND LONDON, June 30. The Eighth Army is battling grimly against the enemy’s eastward drive in Egypt. General Auchinleck is now in direct command of the British forces, having taken over from General Ritchie last Thursday. This change was announced in the House of Commons today by Mr Churchill. Fighting is swaying to and fro over several hundreds of square miles of desert, between Mersa Matruh and a place 50 miles to the east. Fierce fighting went on over the whole of this area yesterday. On the previous day British forces engaged a large force of enemy tanks and mechanised troops. The enemy withdrew, but came back again and the British forces were once more engaged in the same area. South of Mersa Matruh a column of British motorised forces was heavily in action. UNITS OF THE NEW ZEALAND EXPEDITIONARY FORCE FOUGHT ON THE HIGH GROUND ROUND MERSA MATRUH ON SATURDAY NIGHT AND PROVED THAT THEY ARE FINE FIGHTING MEN. WHILE THEY WERE HOLDING UP THE ENEMY, THE ALLIED TROOPS FURTHER EAST WERE PREPARING TO * TAKE UP THE FIGHT. THE NEW ZEALANDERS BEAT OFF - FIVE ATTACKS WITH HEAVY LOSSES TO THE ENEMY. THREE OF THE ATTACKS WERE MADE WITH TANKS. THEY THEN FOUND THEMSELVES SURROUNDED AND FOUGHT THEIR WAY OUT AT THE POINT OF THE BAYONET, CLOSELY FOLLOWED BY THEIR TRUCKS. The Allied air forces are making day and night attacks on the enemy ground forces. A heavy raid was made on Tobruk. In the harbour area an enemy supply ship was among the targets that received a direct hit. Two of the British planes are missing, but the pilot of one is safe. Enemy bombers were over the Alexandria area last night. A night fighter shot one down into the sea. Twelve persons were killed and 14 injured. Over Malta last night British fighters shot down an enemy bomber in a short attack on an aerodrome.