NAZIS TRAPPED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20621, 24 November 1941, Page 5

NAZIS TRAPPED

RAPID ADVANCE CRETE ROLES CHANGE COMMAND OF THE AIR (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Reed. Nov. 24, 9 a.m.) LONDON, Nov. 23.

Trapped in the Sidi Omar-Bardia-Tobruk triangle, the situation of the German forces is hourly becoming more unfavourable and may at any moment become untenable, said the Daily Mail’s correspondent in a message yesterday from General Headquarters in the Western Desert. The military spokesman in Cairo said: “Our rapid advance to Rezegh split the German armoured units. The larger portion is in the GambutCapuzzo area and the smaller southward of Tobruk. We are now engaging the main portion. , The weather is clearing and the battle is now occurring on ground where the going is good.”

Supported by many tanks British forces on Friday sallied out from Tobruk with the object of joining the forces holding Rezegh. At nightfall they had captured a position three miles south-east of the perimeter and were steadily progressing against heavy opposition. Communiques almost ignore the Italian divisions eastwards and westwards of the perimeter. Many New Devices

Aerial reconnaissance reveals that the Germans are trying to bring supplies and reinforcements from Crete oy gliders. The correspondent of the Associated Press of Great Britain with the Bth Army says the British are employing many new devices and tactics which cannot yet be revealed. There are signs that soft landing grounds and British bombing are seriously hampering the German attempts to bring air reinforcements from Crete. We are witnessing a reversal of the situation in Greece and Crete. The British now hold air supremacy. The tank battle is the key to the whole situation. It is going very well for the British. The battle is raging over an area of 30 to 40 square miles. Fighting was resumed on Saturday morning although with fewer numbers as a result of Friday’s casualties.

The Germans to the east are doing their utmost to break out westwards, but have been beaten back. The Germans, however, will fight to the last tank. The British forces are holding back the Germans on the west, having driven a wedge between them. The tank forces were about equal at the start of the offensive. The Italians hitherto have played a minor role. The morale of their prisoners is very low, even lower than last year. Reuter’s Cairo correspondent says the Battle of Libya is likely to go down in history as one of the greatest ever for the strategy and tactics employed. All Egypt is eagerly awaiting news of the latest phase, which it is believed, will outshine all previous communiques.