BRITISH DRIVE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20621, 24 November 1941, Page 7

BRITISH DRIVE

WEST OF TOBRUK BATTLE OF TANKS AXIS FORCES' PLIGHT ITALIANS HAMMERED (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Pres? Assn.) (Reed. Nov. 22, 2.15 p.m.) LONDON, Noy. 21. It is believed the British armoured forces are already many miles west of Tobruk. One British armoured column is battling with a big force of Italian tanks south of Tobruk. The Cairo correspondent of the Associated Press of Great Britain says the Axis forces surrounding Tobruk are now apparently, sandwiched between the advancing British columns and the Tobruk garrison.

A despatch from the Western Desert describes the severe trouncing of Italian tanks, 54 of which were put out of action before the British advance to Rezegh. The encounter occurred on Tuesday night with a concentration of Italians around Bir el Gobi. The fight was short, the British, playing, havoc with the Italians, who , fled north-west with the remains of their force with a British brigade bn theii heels. The latter reached a point near the Tobruk perimeter next morn-, ing. ’ Up to this stage the Germans. With some exceptions, were • not accepting fight, making as, fast as possible in . the direction .or El Adem. With British armotlred vehicles following Closely., One large force of German infantry, hoWev?r,| Which is almost surroundeddnthe.Sidi; Omar region, is putting Up a strong resistance. The pivi-, sion is moving up fast from the soifth: in a north-westerly direction in an. attempt to cut. Off a possible Germanj retreat in the Sidi Omar area and two Indian brigades are deploying with the same aim.

Other Germans are holding out be-/ tween Solium and Bardia with thesupport of guns from Fort Capuzzo. British infantry are attacking them. The military spokesman in Cairo said the Libyan battle was still at its height this afternoon. “It is going extremely well,” he saidr , Admiral Sir Dudley Pound, in a Speech at Bath, said he had been; told it was expected Tobruk would be relieved almost immediately. The Ankara radio estimates theStrength of the .opposing forces in. Libya as follows: British, two to three .tank .divisions, ,15, motorised divisions Italians,. 10 mixed divisions; Germans, two tank divisions, two motorised and o.ne, infantry ‘divisions. It is estimated that the British probably were reinforced in the last few days. A German communique claims that a German and Italian counterattack in North Africa is progressing and. the German bombers routed concentrations of British tanks and lorries on the. Libyan-Egyptian frontier and also bombed hdlitary objectives near Mersa Matruh. The British United .. Press correspondent in Berlin says the German military spokesman stated that the British offensive, in Libya constituted “an extr.emely strong attack, not to be regarded as a propaganda affair.” , The Libyan offensive is most interesting as it makes the first time the British ...have applied the German tactics of encirclement, says the Berlin correspondent of the Stockholm gaper Social Demokrate. The British in the first 24 hours met only advanced German elements, but have how made contact with General Romnel’s main force, and the probability is that the advance, which has already diminished in speed, will be halted.

A Cairo message says that the allpervading confidence of the Egyptians regarding the Libyan offensive has resulted in an all-round rise in values on the Cairo and Alexandria bourses, ranging from 5 to 10 per cent.