8th Army Consolidates Its Gains

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 106, 31 October 1942, Page 7

Bth Army Consolidates Its Gains

LONDON; October 30.

The Eighth Army's gains in Egypt are being consolidated and enlarged. Prisoners are still coming in. -._...■.:..:„ : :::^.:Z. r ;j:'

Today's official news from Cairo adds that^since yesterday morning there have been minor engagements with the enemy's armoured troops, and that fighting is continuing.

A correspondent speaks of the apparent reluctance of the enemy to engage. He says that while -our forces were advancing on Wednesday they saw facing.them a formation of more than 200 tanks, but the enemy did not move in to the attack. The formation was broken up intCKsniall battle- groups, which contented themselves with tapping at various points along our front at long range. At some points the fighting was stubborn. .;'" '

Another correspondent says it is by no means an easy battle. It is a case of slogging and destroying, and attacking infantry against defended positions.

The battle has now been in progress for a nearly week—a week of closeup and all-in fighting—with the Eighth Army so far holding on to every inch of captured ground. The British and Allied air forces yesterday kept up their raids on Axis concentrations and landing grounds. Some of the fighters flew to Mersa Matruh to strafe enemy positions. At least three Axis planes were destroyed on the ground, and others were shot up. In actual combat the Germans lost four fighters. American fighter pilots shot down 22 enemy fighters for the loss of only two of their own in the first five days of the offensive.