BATTLE AWAITED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 December 1942, Page 3

BATTLE AWAITED

BRITISH ARTILLERY ACTIVE ON LIBYAN FRONT ALLIED AIR OFFENSIVE CONTINUES. RAIN HOLDS UP OPERATIONS IN TUNISIA. LONDON, December 10. The news from North Africa is still dominated by the Allied non-stop offensive. ’ In Libya the vital battle of .&! Agheila is still awaited. British artib lery is giving the enemy .no rest and fighter patrols are increasing their activity. Enemy air activity over the battle area is very slight. One' reason for this is that 530 wrecked and abandoned Axis aircraft have been counted in the Libyan Desert. . . Yesterday, for the second day in succession. long-range fighters attacked German troop-carrying planes between Tunisia and Sicily. They shot down two and damaged others. Land fighting in Tunisia is held-up by rain, which has made much of the ground impassable. Activity in the forward areas is restricted to patrols. FIERCE TANK CLASH ALLIES REGAIN GROUND LOST AT TEBOURBA. GROWING STRENGTH IN AIR. LONDON, December 9. Reports from the Allied head-quar-ters in North Africa indicate that British infantry and American armoured vehicles are consolidating positions which they have regained after a fierce two days’ tank battle. The Associated Press correspondent says that British and American patrols today peretrated the German defences round the Bizerta area from the direction of the Tebourba-Mateur horseshoe, Morocco radio says that Allied counterattacks at Tebourba have been successfully carried out. Allied artillery violently shelled enemy units. The Allied 'land and air forces are being concentrated in this area. Several correspondents emphasise the increasing Allied strength in the air in the Tebourba area. Reuter’s correspondent says float the Royal Air Force in Tunisia is using twin-engin-ed Bisleys, which are improved Blenheims. The correspondent adds that the ground struggles for the enemy defence zone 20 miles deep between Tunis and Tebourba appears to be on the verge of entering into a violent phase. Fresh units of British and American planes are constantly arriving at Algiers. NO FOUNDATION REPORT REGARDING EIGHTH ARMY. OFFENSIVE NOT RESUMED. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.50 a.m.) RUGBY, December 10. Today’s Cairo communique reveals that there is no foundation for a report from a Morocco radio (cabled last night) that the Eighth Army has resumed its offensive at El Agheila.