ROMMEL PURSUED BRISKLY BY EIGHTH ARMY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 December 1942, Page 3

ROMMEL PURSUED BRISKLY BY EIGHTH ARMY

Supplies and Equipment Going From Tripoli to Tunisia NUMBER OF AXIS SHIPS SUNK IN MEDITERRANEAN BY ALLIED AIRCRAFT AND NAVAL FORCES LONDON, December 23. Rommel’s forces are still retreating’ towards Tripoli and British forward patrols are keeping; hard on the heels of the enemy rearguard. A Cairo communique gives no news about the position of the British forces, but correspondents say patrol are well forward, keeping the enemy on the move all the time. Rommel is said to be shipping supplies and equipment from Tripoli to the Tunisian battlefield and if this is so, it is an /’indication that his main objective now is to join up with the Axis forces there. Reuter’s correspondent states that if Rommel keeps up his present rate of retreat it is unlikely that his forces can make any real resistance until they reach the broken country about four days’ journey west, of Sirte. Naval forces and aircraft continue to make successful attacks on the Axis Mediterranean supply lines and the Navy has just been busy taking large reinforcements of war materials ' and supplies to the island fortress of Malta, without any major interference from the enemy. A Greek destroyer and a Polish destroyer sank an Axis submarine. A British submarine has torpedoed two Africa-bound enemy ships in the Tunis-Bizerta area. One was sunk and the other probably sunk. Light naval forces, with-.aircraft reconnaissance, intercepted and sank another ship off this coast. Bombers based on Malta scored direct hits on two ships in Tunis Harbour naval torpedo-carrying aircraft, also based on Malta, sank one supply ship and one escort vessel off the coast of Tripoli. A submarine has torpedoed an Axis destroyer and two supply sjiips off Sicily.