TOBRUK BY-PASS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20636, 16 August 1941, Page 9

TOBRUK BY-PASS

EXPENSIVE ROUTE FRONTIER OF EGYPT DECISION BY GERMANS (Elec. Tel Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Reed. Aug. 15, 2.20 p.m.) LONDON, Aug. 14. The Germans have apparently abandoned hope of reducing Tobruk by force and have built an expensive by-pass roacl to carry supplies to the Egyptian frontier, says Reuter’s correspondent with advanced units in the Western Desert. The Germans hope to starve out Tobruk. Big guns are being used in conjunction with large bomber forces in the attempt to paralyse British shipping in the harbour. There is no sign at present that the enemy intends to break the lull in the desert, but forward British troops continue to scour the blazing, barren tablelands and are harrying the Axis forces day and night. Patrols bring ir. a steady flow of Italian and German prisoners. Italians Given Inferior Role Italians now outnumber the Germans on the frontier areas. The combined Axis forces have completed defensive positions over a great area stretching 30 miles from Hellfire Pass across the frontier to a point southwest of Fort Capuzzo. The positions are mainly trenches and camouflaged anti-tank nests. The Germans have copied the British composite columns consisting of infantry in lorries and highly-mobil.e guns. The Italians are allotted the less arduous task of manning prepared positions, but are not entrusted with the difficult job of holding the busy salient in the south-west corner of the Tobruk defences.

Hopes of reducing Tobruk appear slight. Large fighter formations prevent Axis planes disrupting shipping. Pilots bemoan the fact that so far they have not succeeded in bringing the raiding planes to large-scale action. Generally the enemy seems to be concentrating entirely on defence and faces a daily-increasing problem.