TANK BATTLES BEGIN

Evening Post, Volume CXXXII, Issue 125, 22 November 1941, Page 9

TANK BATTLES BEGIN

Big Armoured Clashes

163 AXIS TANKS AND CARS

DESTROYED

LONDON, November 21.

The great battle in Libya has begun. Tonight's, official communique from Oairo states that at least 163 Axis links and armoured cars have been destroyed in a series of big armoured clashes. Everywhere the enemy forces have been driven back by the British and Imperial mechanised divisions. News is awaited that the garrison at Tobruk has been relieved. The First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Dudley Pound, speaking at a meeting in England tonight, said: "Just before I came here I was told that it was expected that Tobruk would be relieved almost immediately."

Tonight's Cairo communique says: "The battle in Cyrenaica was joined in earnest yesterday afternoon. Following their rapid advance on the two previous, days, our armoured forces on Thursday engaged German tanks in strength near Sidi Rezegh, 10 miles from Tobruk's outer defences. After losing 70 tanks and 33 armoured cars, the German forces withdrew, leaving several hundred prisoners in our. hands. "Between this area and Sidi Omar, near the Egyptian frontier, a further British armoured division came into action against yet another concentration of German tanks which had advanced southwards from/the Bardia-Gambut area. During the first action of Wednesday the enemy lost 26 tanks against 20 of our own. Yesterday morning this action was resumed, as a result of which the enemy was finally driven off in a northeasterly direction, losing a further 34 tanks." The communique goes on to state that in the Birel Gobi area, south of Sidi Rezegb, the situation is less clear, except for the fact that the Italian armoured division as originally deployed in this area has apparently exerted no influence on the battle now proceeding. This Italian division was attacked and severely handled by British armoured forces on Tuesday during the initial British advance towards Sidi Rezegh. Heavy pressure continues to be exerted upon the enemy holding the defences between Halfaya and Sidi Omar. Meanwhile, Imperial forces supported by further British tank formations are steadily making ground northwards in a movement west of Sidi Omar..

In other parts of the huge battle arena strong British armoured and mechanised columns have made deep penetrations in a number of directions, all of which are threatening the cations.

enemy's main lines of commun:

Dealing with air operations in xabya, the communique says that throughout yesterday the British air forces were active over the whole battle area, after which fighters engaged enemy formations attempting to bomb armoured forces and intercepted reconnaissance aircraft. Fighters also attacked enemy, divebombers at their bases with great success.

Bombers carried out repeated attacks on the two main enemy armoured concentrations, and gave particularly effective support to the armoured forces around Sidi Raizaik. At least 24 enemy aircraft were destroyed, and many were severely damaged.

The R.A.F. also carried out further smashing attacks on the enemy's vital supply lines between southern Italy and the North African coast. They

raided Bardia, Derna, Benghazi, and Tripoli—all ports for unloading enemy supplies, and Naples. Brindisi, and Messina, key ports of embarkation. From all these widespread operations nine British aircraft have not returned.

An .R.A.F. communique states that one squadron in the Tmimi area, in support of the big battle, destroyed 14 Junkers dive-bombers, a petrol dump was blown up, and enemy personnel were machine-gunned. In one area four Messerschmitts and a Junkers 88 were shot down. Naval aircraft engaged a large formation of enemy lighters escorting Junkers divebombers. Two Junkers were shot down and a number of Messerschmitts were severely damaged.

Today's German and Italian communiques report violent artillery duels on the Tobruk frontier and British raids on the Libyan supply bases. They also speak of Axis counterattacks.