ALLIED PATROLS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 September 1942, Page 4

ALLIED PATROLS

USEFUL WORK IN EGYPT CLOSE TOUCH MAINTAINED WITH ENEMY. REASONS FOR RECENT TOBRUK LANDING. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, September 20. Allied patrols, to which ground operations have been confined in recent weeks, have been most successful, reports “The Times” Western Desert correspondent. Both sides are working at top speed to build up their forces and it is essential that the Allied staff should have full and late information concerning the enemy dispositions and defence works. Oui' men are far better at this work than the Axis troops, who show a marked disinclination for night movement. An appreciable number of Rommel’s supply ships are still crossing the Mediterranean, despite the fact that many have been sunk or damaged, which speaks highly for the Allied airmen’s vigilance, but it is likely that greater damage could be done if the air forces were equipped with more dive-bombers and torpedocarriers. The fact that Tobruk is still useable is no reflection on the R.A.F’s. skill but is additional proof of the practical impossibility of rendering the harbour unuseable by bombing. This probably was one of the reasons for the recent Tobruk landing, which, though costly, is believed to have achieved the objective of a more exact destruction of vital harbour installations and selected supplies.

POWERFUL BOMBING BIG FACTOR IN DEFEAT OF ROMMEL. IN OFFENSIVE EARLY THIS MONTH. (Received This Day, 1.10 n.m.) RUGBY, September 20. Over half ?. million pounds of high explosive were dropped by the R.A.F. during, Rommel’s offensive against Egypt early in September. An agency correspondent, reporting this, says: Bostons and Baltimores dropped one bomb every 48 seconds during daylight and the damage to the eemy’s fighting supply services was a decisive factor in repelling the German attack. In the six days of the heaviest fighting, from August 31 to September 5, one bomb was dropped on the enemy every 75 seconds, day. and night, and the average bombing concentration was 25,000 pounds per square mile, per hour. During the battle the British losses were three day and three night bombers, all by anti-aircraft fire and none to enemy fighters. The crews of two of the bombers lost are safe.