NOT DESPONDENT

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20824, 1 July 1942, Page 3

NOT DESPONDENT

VIEWS IN BRITAIN LOSS OF MERSA MATRUH all' supplies removed (11 a.m.) LONDON, June 30. There was never any intention of putting up a static defence at Mersa Matruh, says The Times. On the first sign of the enemy attempting to surround it our troops were withdrawn and all supplies removed. The Times adds that there is no tendency to take a despondent view of the situation. The Eighth Army has been strongly reinforced and is fighting with dogged determination. The Times says that the capture of Mersa Matruh enabled General Rommel to take a large step towards the double object of his campaign—to push the Eighth Army back on Egypt and force us to draw fresh troops into battle, thereby weakening other points in the Middle East defensive system. The Daily Mail says the news grows graver every hour. The Eighth Army has become too weakened to be risked in defence of any fortified line against such forces as General Rommel commands. The loss of Mersa Matruh is a serious blow, and no doubt it will yield the Italians and Germans additional booty and also a water supply. The conflict for the moment is swaying all one way, but the pendulum may yet be stopped. The loss of Egypt would be such a catastrophe to the United Nations that we may be sure that the utmost efforts will be made to save it. We may hope that sufficient reserves of men and material can he brought up to enable a strong and successful counter-attack. The military writer of The Times says that Mersa Matruh does not necessarily constitute the last effective defence position, but its speedy fall is a bad omen. It may well be that our forces were compelled through weakness to avoid a major tank battle for the time being. This exposes other arms to a crushing, attack. That Alexandria and the Suez Canal are imperilled is almost incredible in view of the vast numbers of men and the quantities of material sent to Egypt, but that is what we have to contemplate.