The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES” GISBORNE, TUESDAY, JUNE 30, 1942 BATTLE OF EGYPT

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20823, 30 June 1942, Page 2

The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES” GISBORNE, TUESDAY, JUNE 30, 1942 BATTLE OF EGYPT

The return of the New Zealand Division to Egypt after some months .spent in Syria is at once an indication of the seriousness of the position in Egypt and of the high regard in which the New Zealanders are held as fighting men. The division already has behind it a proud record of gallantry and achievement against heavy odds. Indeed, in its first two campaigns, Greece and Crete, it might well have been described as the champion of lost causes. First in one place and then in the other it was thrown into action Jn an attempt to check \the Nazi hordes. Check them was all that it could do, but it took such heavy toll of the enemy and delayed his operations for so long thkt the whole of his subsequent campaign in Russia was thrown out of gear. Following these campaigns, the division was reorganised, re-equipped and reinforced and when the Libyan offensive of last November was launched it was ready once again for the fray and once again added to its laurels. In this campaign, as in those which preceded it, the New Zealanders were called upon to bear much of the brunt of battle and they were in no small measure responsible for the success which attended it. Again their losses were severe, but they were borne ungrudgingly and the men themselves and their kinsfolk were proud of the part they had been enabled to play. The transfer of the division to Syria did not mean that they were to be rested, although they were moved from the scene of the fighting and undoubtedly welcomed the change of atmosphere. In Syria they had the responsibility of standing guard on the Turkish frontier and the time they were there was spent in further intensive training in readiness for whatever call might next be made upon them. That call has come unexpectedly from Egypt, where the Imperial forces, already weakened by the transfer of the Australians, were overrun by General Rommel’s forces and forced back across the frontier. Already it is reported that the New Zealanders have been in battle in the vicinity of Mersa Matruh—a .battle which is described as having eclipsed in magnitude and intensity any which was previously fought in the desert. Is this to be another instance of the New Zealand Division fighting a lost cause? So far there ,is no need for such a despondent view. They have been thrown into the fight at a critical juncture and at a time when there are many factors • which tend to increase the anxiety. For their part they will count it an honour to fill the breach and it may be taken for granted that they will acquit themselves with honour and distinction. _ Indeed, by now they may already have done so. The Battle of Egypt, according to to-day’s reports, has taken , a turn for the worse, but the battle is not yet lost, nor is there any need to assume that it will be lost. The capture of Mersa Matruh by the Axis forces is, on the face of it, a severe blow, but it may not be so severe as the first news suggests. In view of the depleted strength of the Allied forces, .it might have been considered wise to maintain a steady withdrawal rat'her than to risk encirclement and the loss of still further large forces. The essential thing at the moment is to keep the Eighth Army as .intact as possible and if to do this it was necessary to abandon Mersa Matruh to the enemy then it is clear that the step would be fully justified. Even if the evacuation were carried out in the best of order, however —and of this there is so far no definite news— it would still place the Allies at a disadvantage, since a retreating army almost inevitably must abandon a good deal of its supplies and equipment. At the same time, the operation means that they are falling back on their main bases and that they should bo more readily supplied and reinforced. In the meantime, therefore, there is no reason to assume that they will not be able to make a stand and to hold the territory that is really vital to the defence of Egypt proper. By advancing as far and as rapidly

I as he has, General Rommel has performed a seemingly impossible feat, although previous desert campaigns demonstrated how speedily an army can move once it gets under way. The all-important question now is whether the Axis forces will be able to maintain their advance. . The answer to this depends far less upon their strength than upon the strength of the forces opposed to them. Without being unduly optimistic, it can still be said that General Rommel has the hardest part ahead of him. His forces have to advance over almost open desert in the face of the concentrated attack which the Allies should still be able to launch from the air. He will be compelled to rely to no small extent on the material already at his disposal and that which has been captured from the Allies, and every mile of his communications will bo subjected to relentless attack. For these reasons, despite his obvious gains and apparent advantages it can still be said that his position is far from secure. Indeed, unless he has really prepondcrent strength—and that, of course, may be the case—his own position might at any time become precarious. As things stand at the moment, however, there is certainty no reason for complacency and unless the tide of battle changes rapidly there will be ground for grave anxiety. ■