RINGED WITH IRON

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 108, 3 November 1942, Page 3

RINGED WITH IRON

AXIS TROOPS IN HOT

SPOT

AUSTRALIANS' ATTACK

(Rec. 2 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 2. The correspondent of the Associated Press of Great Britain in the Western Desert says that the Axis forces entrapped in the area of the coast were put into a pocket by Australian troops, in the face of considerable opposition from enemy infantry. The; Australians wiped out Axis nests and took prisoners as they progressed, after overcoming opposition with the bayonet. The enemy concentration is not wholly encircled, but is ringed with iron with sufficient completeness to render their position untenable. The main armour of the Afrlka Korps is further west. There are also great British armoured formations in other parts of the desert, ready to deal their own thrusts. 'In a communication lodged on November 1. a correspondent of the British United Press near Mersa Hamra says that German shock troops, supported by artillery and heavy mortars, 'attempted to attack the British line in the westward salient between the railway and the coast, and very fierce fighting developed lor a post south of the railway. . ,* A correspondent of the "Daily Tele- | graph" on the Alamein front reports that prisoners taken recently mostly came from the hard-worked 164 th Ger-' man Division. "It is evident." he said, ! "that the weight of our barrage is a 1 source of considerable concern to the enemy. Prisoners and deserters have stated that the ban-age is not only affecting the morale of the troops, but that the casualties inflicted by it arc heavier than was at first supposed." DRIVE TO THE COAST. Australian infantry are playing a crucial part in-"the battle of the gap." The Australians on Friday drove northwards and towards the coast from a bulge they had previously driven into the Axis positions to a depth of approximately three miles. The Australians launched a night attack supported by a tremendous artillery barrage and fought their way desperately forward across rough and difficult ground. They took their first two objectives by dawn, and again attacked shortly after daylight, gained further ground, inflicted appreciable;.casualties, took a number of prisoners, mostly Germans, and destroyed some guns. The result of the Australians' thrust was the almost complete encirclement of strong Italo-German forces who had been under constant attack from three sides since Saturday morning. Artillery, the Air Force, tanks, and infantry are now co-operating in an attempt ,to pinch out the Axis salient. Reconnaissance revealed that the Italians and Germans all day yesterday were preparing to break out from the "hot spot," where their position appears to be most precarious. ENEMtt STRONG POINTS. The Australians are holding their positions under strong counter-attacks from west and east. Reports from the front are vague on the point whether the Australians actually reached the coast, but apparently their most advanced force did. The Germans then counter-attacked along the coast before the Allied forces were able to pour in sufficient artillery and tank support, and the Germans managed*to pass in a number of tanks to reinforce their pocketed infantry. These pocketed Italians and Germans hold a series of strong points which are ringed by rows of barbed wire, booby traps, and minefields, and maimed by heavy and light machine-guns. Italian and German troops, with strong artillery and mortar support, are attempting to widen the coastal link between the pockets and the main force. They unavailingly used a strong tank force on Saturday night in an attempt to force the Australians further from the sea.-

. During the Allied barrage on the night of October 30 the artillery operated flat-out for five hours, during which thousands of shells were hurled against the enemy. The- enemy's gunfire was feeble. The sector attacked formed a very important link in the German defences. It is generally regarded as the toughest proposition yet tackled.

A German communique states: "Axis counter-attacks in the northern sector of the Alamein front continued yesterday. Enemy forces which made some penetration were , thrown back with heavy losses, particularly among the Australians."

An Italian communique says: "An Axis counter-attack in the northern sector developed favourably and resulted in the capture of about 100 Australians. The enemy, after violent artillery preparations, carried out new attacks in the same sector, but were checked. The enemy last night attempted to land behind our lines, but was frustrated."