BATTLE OF TANKS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 July 1942, Page 4

BATTLE OF TANKS

DEVELOPMENT DESCRIBED CORRESPONDENTSS STORY. STRUGGLE IN THE CENTRAL SECTOR. i (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day. 10.55 a.m.) RUGBY, July 17. Describing the armoured battle still being fought out south of El Alamein, a correspondent, in a broadcast from the Egyptian front, said: “Fighting began when the enemy used tanks to try to dislodge our infantry from the Ruweisak Ridge. Our tanks came up to help our infantry, the enemy produced more and so rapidly the amount of armoured force on each side increased. The action then developed from a local tank engagement into a general battle between tanks, with infantry and quantities of guns on each side. The area of activity is still Ruweisak, although in desert tank fighting there is always a good deal of movement. .“Yesterday, even when the armoured battle was at its height, the enemy had not forgotten his original intention of clearing the Ruweisak ridge and stijl attacked our troops there. Our attacks against the Axis armoured forces were two-fold. General Grants and General Lees —the latter a new American tank which differs from the General Grant only in its top turret—British cruisers and heavy tanks have been operating among the dust and soft sand of the central sector. Combined air forces have been concentrating in attacks on the enemy armoured forces from above. All reports today make it clear that the fighting in the central sector, particularly about Ruweisak, is very fierce.

“The original attack on the ridge was made by New Zealanders and Indians and was a courageous and well-execut-ed infantry operation. Although the interference of enemy tanks forced the New Zealanders to pull back some way from the western end of the ridge, it did not then dislodge them altogether, “For the moment, all attention is focussed on the tank fighting, which, for the enemy as well as for us, is the most important operation.” Regarding Tel el Isa, it is believed in London that, after changing hands several times, this hill is now in our possession. The Ruweisak ridge, which is situated about twelve miles from the coast, is about eight miles long and two to three miles wide, and runs to the west. It has been the scene of a German attack since the evening of Wednesday last. Fighting has been continuous, and the final result is not yet known. Both sides are using armoured forces, artillery and infantry, the last being engaged in the battle on the ridge itself. Informed quarters are of opinion that the fighting is on a bigger scale than the attacks which have taken place recently.