RITCHIE’S NEW LINE

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 June 1942, Page 5

RITCHIE’S NEW LINE

ON LIBYAN FRONTIER

DEFENCE OF TOBRUK LONDON, June 19. “Lieutenant-General Ritchie’s Bth Army now holds strong fortified positions on the Libyan frontier and in the Tobruk area,” states the latest Cairo communique. “Our mobile forces operating from the south are confining the enemy forces to the coastal belt. One of our columns ' yesterday shelled enemy troops on the El Adem aerodrome. Our troops in the Tobruk area yesterday destroyed three tanks and damaged four others.” Marshal Rommel- is reported to be bringing up nine-inch siege guns around Tobruk. Fighting is going on for the possession of Axisstrasse, also called Democracy Lane, which is the semi-circular road skirting the Tobruk perimeter at an average distance of six miles. In the air British aeroplanes have made hundreds of sorties. Boston bombers and Kittyhawks halted the renewal of several enemy attacks. Fighters dealt with large numbers of enemy fighters trying to intercept the British bombers. The aeronautical correspondent ol the “Daily Mail” says: “The Germans doggedly advanced m spite ol heavy air attacks until, with the capture of our advanced airfields, British aeroplanes are now li,kejy to experience difficulty in maintaining a substantial umbrella over the troops. If so, Marshal Rommel has achieved air superiority by the more costly but more direct method ot overrunning aerodromes and reducing our air strength at its source.” The Cairo correspondent ol the Associated Press of Great Britain says: “In equipment both sides were about evenly matched at the outset, but while the British leadership tried hard and applied many lessons from the last campaign, it has still not attained quite the same skill and organisation as the Germans. The situation in the Western Desert is not too good, but the Nile Valley and the Middle East do not appear to be in imminent danger. It is most likely that the German aim will be to take Tobruk, which is the best harbour between Benghazi and Alexandria, and build it up as a base for an Autumn offensive against the Middle

East n Not all correspondents agree that the Italians and Germans will necessarily wait for the Autumn lor a bold bid lor the food and oil of the Middie East, opening the way to the rubber and tin of the Far East, and also cutting the Persian Gulf supply route to Russia, and threatening to place India’s wealth and labour power in the Italian-German-Japanese nutcracker. The military correspondent of the “Daily Mail” says: “The Germans may employ again the classical pincer in a typically bold stroke, and land men from Crete in General Ritchie’s rear. Reports that German troops are concentrating in Italy aie linked up with reports that many German parachutists are at present in Greece and Crete. The Germans are reported to be concentrating gliders in Greece. They arc practising glider flights between Greece and Crete with four-engined, aeroplanes towing two gliders each.”

HOPE TO HOLD TOBRUK

RUGBY, June 19

Tobruk, after six mouths, is again invested, and hopes are high that it will prove as valuable to the Allies, and as embarrassing to the enemy, as it did during the eight months it stood at bay last year, now that the Eighth Army is in the same general strategic position as it was before it moved forward last November. The British positions on the frontier are an improvement on those of last year, -as these now include the extremely strong fortresses of Hallaym Solium, Bardia, and Sidi Omar, which the enemy fortified last year. F rom aerodromes behind this line, the R.A.F. will be able to maintain superiority over the forward area which is only 80 miles from Solium. The Press does not disguise the fact that the battle resulted in a tactical defeat, and quotes Mr. Churchill s reminder, alter Dunkirk, that evacuation cannot win wars. It is suggested that the inability of the Navy and R.A.F. to interfere effectively with the Axis supply routes, was due to the lavish provision made by the Axis to meet all losses likely to be suffered. The “Telegraph” points om that nothing short of an advance to Bonghazi could improve the Allied supply position, and if the Axis can be held at the Egyptian frontier, no new strategic dangers will emerge. R.A.F. SUCCESSES. RUGBY, June 19. Widespread operations by British aircraft, conducted without loss to themselves, are described in a R.A.F. ■Middle East communique, which states: Fighter aircraft were active in Cyrenaica throughout yesterday operating in close support of the land forces. Two Messerschmitts were shot down. Our bombers again attacked Gazala landing ground, while at Tmimi aerodrome, explosions and fires were observed among enemy aircraft. On Wednesday night, our bombers also attacked aerodromes at Heraklion and Tymbaki in Crete. There has been slight enemy air activity over Malta in the last 24 hours. One Junkers 88 was shot down by a fighter. None of our aircraft is missing. ROMMEL’S COMMENT LONDON, June 18. The Berlin radio said Marshal von Rommel told two Italian journalist interviewers: Fighting is hard in Libya. The enemy can make a strong base from Tobruk, but the outcome of the battle is not to be doubted.

AMERICAN HELP

NEW YORK, June 19

The “New York Times” in a leading article says: Tobruk is again facing a siege. Some decisive change, however, has taken place in the desert warfare. This came to a climax in Mr. Stimson’s recent statement that American troops had undergone intensive training for desert fighting. America realises that Tobruk, means much more than a spot in the African desert. Therefore American boys are being hardened for desert war, because Tobruk is now our outpost and our battle.

“FIGHTING FIFTIETH.”

- RUGBY, June 17

A graphic account of the fighting withdrawal of the Fiftieth (Northumbrian) Division from the Knightsbridge area has been given by an observer, broadcasting from the Libyan desert. He states that when Bir Hacheim fell, and last Saturday’s tank battle left our infantry positions dangerously exposed, the Commander of the Fiftieth Division decided to make his way back through the enemy. It was a daring plan, which had a 50 per cent, chance of success, but the alternative was surrender, or complete defeat on the spot. Two assaults, one with 11 Valentine tanks, followed by infantry, and the other by infantry alone, were made on the enemy, and both were brilliantly successful. The British force managed to blast its way through the enemy lines, through the camps behind, over the officers’ messes, over trucks and tranches, and over the enemy themselves. Enemy demoralisation was complete, and when the

day dawned after a night of confusion, rout and despair for the enemy, the Fiftieth Division had gone off on its long circular journey back, leaving shattered crumpled gaps in the Axis lines, where Yorkshifemen, Northumberlands, Cheshires, and their comrades, had gone not through, but over.

V.C. FOR RAIDER.

RUGBY, June 19.

One of the most daring feats in the present war—the raid on Rommel’s residence and headquarters in North Africa last November, is recalled by the posthumous award of the Victoria Cross to Major (Temp. Lieut.Colonel) G. C. T. Keyes, of the Royal Scotts Greys. In the words of the official citation, “it was adventure which even if initially successful meant almost certain death, for those engaged in it.” Keyes was the son of Sir Roger Keyes. He commanded a detachment of the force which landed 250 miles behind the enemy lines, under orders to attack the headquarters, base installations, and communications.

The citation continues: “From the outset, Keyes deliberately selected for himself the command of the detachment detailed to attack what was undoubtedly the most hazardous objective,—residence and headquarters of the G.O.C. German forces, North Africa. He led his detachment without guides in dangerous precipitous country, in pitch darkness, and by his stolid determination, and powers of leadership maintained the morale of the detachment. He then found himself forced to modify the original plans, in the light of fresh information gained from neighbouring Arabs, and was left with only one officer and an N.C.0., with whom to break into Rommel’s residence, deal with the guards, and headquarters staff. At zero hour, on the night of November 17, having dispatched a covering party to block the approaches to the house, he, with the two others, crawled forward past the guards, through the surrounding fence up to the house. Without hesitation he boldly led his party up to the front door and demanded entrance. Unfortunately, when the door was opened, it was found impossible to overcome the sentry silently. It was necessary to shoot him. The noise aroused the inmates of the house, and Keyes, appreciating that speed was of utmost importance, posted the n.c.o. at the foot of the stairs to prevent interference from the floor above. Keyes emptied his revolver into the first room. He was followed by other officers, who threw grenades. Keyes, with great daring, then entered a second room, but was shot almost immediately and fell into the passage mortally wounded. On being carried outside by his comrades, he died within a few minutes.