In Direction Of Tobruk

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 138, 13 June 1942, Page 5

In Direction Of Tobruk

MET BY ARMOURED FORCES

: LONDON, June 12. Enemy forces in Libya have thrust northwards in the direction of the coastal road running to Tobruk, and.the Allied forces are engaged with strong armoured enemy columns. This new attack was first made at night between Bir Hacheim and Tamar, the Cauldron strong-point about six miles south-west of Knightsbridge and about 40 miles from Tobruk. Today's communique said that this was met by armoured forces, but details of the fighting are not available.

Aii agency message says that as i soon as the enemy columns were met they headed north to the coast, and a running fight developed. The enemy force was made up of some units that had come in from the west, with a large number of others that had been engaged in the Cauldron. A j dispatch states that the force that j met them was a strong one. More open warfare is now expected in consequence of the shortening forward line. Yesterday air operations over the desert were on a considerable scale, and covered a wide area. Heavy bombing attacks were made on enemy motorised units in the Knightsbridge area. Taranto was bombed on Wednesday night, and the Italian communique! says that the R.A.F. was again over there last night, the fourth in succession. A night raid was also carried out on objectives in Crete. Four planes are missing from the latest operations.

swooped on the desolate, outpost and a great wall of smoke rolled up. Between avalanches of bombs, the. Axis artillery hammered the fortress. German armoured forces smashed at the French minefield and barbed wire defences within a few minutes of the great dive-bomber raid. The battle raged all afternoon in torrid heat. The R.A.F. desperately attempted to beat off. the Luftwaffe. Sometimes 20 Junkers 88's and 20 Mgsserschmitt 109's were in the air in addition to the stukas. Meanwhile, the Germans threw a strong screen of armoured forces south of Knightsbridg'e io . check sorties "against the Axis force at Bir Hacheim. British tanks engaged one group of German tanks near Knightsbridg'e, inflicted a drubbing, and drove them back to the Cauldron. Mobile British and South African columns are making day and night dagger thrusts against the Axis forcesin the Gazala region. They have captured hundreds of prisoners and much booty.