HALFAYA PASS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 November 1942, Page 3

HALFAYA PASS

VITAL ROADWAY BLOCKED. OR VERY BADLY DAMAGED. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, November 9. The road through Halfaya Pass' has been blocked as the result of a heavy attack by Allied bombers. A heavy concentration of enemy transport was caught east of Halfaya and was bombed and strafed from a height of 500 feet with telling effect. The remnants of the enemy force must make a detour of six miles around a high escarpment because of the blockage of the pass, which will take days to clear. Six Junkers 52s which were believed to be carrying petrol, were shot down. Another report states that Halfaya Pass probably is not blocked, but that the roadway has been so damaged that the pass is more of a bottleneck than ever. ENEMY SURRENDER AT MERSA MATRUH. MANY MORE PRISONERS COLLECTED. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.40 a.m.) RUGBY, November 9. “Pursuit of the remnants of the panzer army into Libya was continued throughout yesterday,” says today s Cairo communique. “Hostile elements which had been holding out at Mersa Matruh capitulated yesterday. Many more prisoners were collected yester-

day, including the commander of the Pavia Division. . . . It is now confirmed' that we shot down at least 12 enemy aircraft on Saturday. Four of our planes have not returned.”