BETTER THAN EXPECTED

Evening Post, Volume CXXXII, Issue 126, 24 November 1941, Page 7

BETTER THAN EXPECTED

PROGRESS OF BATTLE

GERMAN PETROL SHORTAGE INDICATED

(Rec. 12.30 p.m.) RUGBY, Nov. 23.

A special correspondent with the British Army in the Western Desert writes that the latest information reaching advanced headquarters indicates that the battle is not settled yet, bu is going better than was expected.

Following Saturday's sacrifice of tanks, the Germans have lost the chief support of their panzer divisions. A useful indication is that 60 German tanks in one place held their position, which seems to point to a shortage of petrol.

Early on Sunday morning the Tobruk garrison, which had orders yesterday to return to the edge of the perimeter, made another successful sortie in a south-westerly direction.

In the meantime, the New Zealanders resumed on Sunday'morning their march westward, supported by tanks. Two panzer divisions are making a desperate attempt ,to escape, south of Tobruk and west of Fort Capuzzo. Slowly but surely, a pincers movement by three English armoured brigades, backed by English, New Zealand, and South African brigades, is developing. Under cover of shells and constant bombing by all classes of aircraft, tlie Germans are attempting to cut a wedge towards the Derna mountains, which would permit organised defence and where even the Italians checked the Australian advance towards Benghazi last year. Three English brigades, one of which is much faster than the German panzers, are closing up, and numerous rearguard actions took place yesterday in which the Germans lost many more tanks.