THE NEWS IN CAIRO

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 December 1942, Page 3

THE NEWS IN CAIRO

WAR CORRESPONDENTS CALLED FROM BEDS , i TO HEAR THE OFFICIAL ' ANNOUNCEMENT. / ROMMEL’S POSSIBLE PLANS. LONDON, December 14. Following on the official announcement in Cairo of the enemy retreat from El Agheila, the later routine communique states: “The Eighth Army yesterday turned Rommel out of his strong positions at Mersa Brega (east of El Agheila) at little cost to themsel- t ves. The enemy are retreating : westward, relentlessly pursued by i the leading elements of our forces.” The communique says that Allied fighters and bombers co-operated on an unprecedented scale. The Axis air opposition was ineffective; those fighters which attempted to interfere were successfully engaged, and at least six were shot down. The news was flashed from Cairo after the war correspondents had been called from their beds to receive the I announcement from the British headquarters. This new advance has brokenithe lull of 23 days past since the Eighth Army occupied Benghazi. The Army has pushed forward some 750 miles in the drive which, started with the smashing of the Afrika Korps at El Alamein on November 3, five weeks ago. El Agheila will be remembered as the place where General Wavell’s lightning advance ended in February, 1941, and it was there that Rommel in lhe second Libyan campaign rallied his forces in 1942 and drove us back again. But this time we have driven the enemy farther westward than ever before _ There are other points along Rommel’s present route where he may attempt another stand before the Tripoli area. One that is much mentioned is the harbour town of Misurata, 300 miles from El Agheila, but there are at least two other nearer areas Wadi el Kehir, a long gully-running irom the coast about 200 miles from El Agheila, and Wadi Zamzam, an area oi marshes, sandhills and gorges farther west.