TESTING AXIS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20620, 22 November 1941, Page 7

TESTING AXIS

CONSTANT BLOWS

BRITISH ATTACK NAVY AND AIR FORCE FAST MOVES BY LAND (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Reed. Nov. 21, 3 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 20. Under constant hammering from the Royal Air Force and harassed by the navy, the Germans and Italians are falling back along the coastal roads of Libya. They face a dual threat, namely the British turning movement from the region of Sidi Omar driving to Tobruk and cutting off the Axis forces in the coastal area and the drive from Jarabub in the direction of El Agheila to cut supplies and prevent a retreat to Tripoli. British forces crossed the frontier at Sheferzen, 10 miles south of Sidi Omar, permitting them to by-pass strongly-fortified frontier positions from the coast to Sidi Omar. From Sheferzen a fairly good road runs westward to El Gubbi (Birel Gobi) which is unlikely to be seriously effected by the rain. The road runs also from Jarabub to El Agheila. It is in the south that the British initial advance was faster than that of last year, largely owing to the British supremacy in no man’s land. Fleet Out in Full The Eastern Mediterranean Fleet is out in full for the Libyan offensive, says the correspondent of the Associated Press of Great Britain aboard the Barham. The battle fleet covered the bombarding force, but did not encounter Axis warships. Most of the shelling was directed against Halfaya Pass, where the Axis had large ammunition dumps and supply bases, in addition to thousands of troops. The navy’s shells are believed to have hit several dumps, causing violent explosions. The bombardment occurred shortly before midnight last night. The gunners manned every gun in the fleet when Axis bombers shadov/ed the warships, keeping just beyond effective gun range. Then Royal Air Force planes came over and drove off the bombers. A single enemy plane roared over at night at a height of 300 ft. and dropped flares, but did not attempt to attack. The German military spokesman in Berlin to-day said: “We agree with the British that they will have no military walk-over in Libya. The military situation there is different from a year ago. We await developments calmly.’’ The Rome radio announced: “The German and Italian watchword in Libya is: ‘They shall not pass.’ General Cunningham has an arduous task.”