BATTLE OPENS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20825, 2 July 1942, Page 3

BATTLE OPENS

CONTROLOF EGYPT NEW NAZI ATTACK LARGE-SCALE CLASH "FIGHTING FOR TIME” , (By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright.) (Noon.) LONDON, July 1. The latest reports from Cairo suggests that fighting on a large, scale has developed at the approaches to Egypt. British forces are said to be engaged in the neighbourhood of Alamein, about 70 miles westward of Alexandria, which the enemy is reported to be attacking. General Sir Claud Auchinleck today visited his troops in the forward area, making a tour of the battle area in his own plane. .“The situation in. Egypt ,is not hopeless,” said't an American military observer who has returned to Cairo from the battlefront. “It looks better now than in the last few days. The Royal Air Force has kept control of the air and this has .had a tremendous effect on the morale of the troops, who are keen for battle.” It now transpires that there was not any real /intention of holding Mersa Matruh. The present battleground is the area .in which it was generally expected that the "big encounter would develop. The Eighth Army has been' fighting a dogged, delaying, rearguard action, allowing the enemy to pass forward slowly until he was in a position where our commanders thought we could best hit him a hard knock. Battle of Attrition The Cairo correspondent of the Daily Mail says: “We are fighting for time in which to complete defensive preparations in the Alamein area across the 35-mile bottleneck between the sea and the Kattara depression. General Auchinleck hopes to jam the Eighth Army tightly in this bottle-neck and force General Rommel to halt. A battle of attrition continues between the rival armoured forces, with anti-tank guns and field guns doing most of the work. For miles, burning trucks and tanks send up pillars of smoke. The battle raged over some hundreds of square miles east of Mersa Matruh, where the Eighth Army was fighting desperately to stem the enemy’s advance into Egypt, says The -Times’ Cairo correspondent. Reports are still scanty, and even contradictory, but it is evident that the battle has reached a critical stage. The New Zealanders are putting up a magnificent stand from which much Is expected. Our air effort increases daily, and the enemy is still utterly outclassed. There is amazingly little interference with our ground forces. Ninety-six planes were shot down between June 1 and 29. The Associated Press’ Cairo correspondent says it is known that oyer 60 enemy planes were destroyed in the desert in June, of which one-third were dive-bombers. The outcome of the battle depends largely on our success in stopping enemy supplies, especially petrol. Another major factor is the speed with which disabled tanks are sent back to battle. One hundred slightly damaged tanks are being repaired throughout the day and night. Stream of Reinforcements The special correspondent of the Daily Express at a Middle East port reports that a steady stream of reinforcements of men, tanks and planes is'reaching the Eighth Army through this and other Middle East ports. The troops are going to the front after only brief halts for transhipment from steamers to trains, tanks and transport following close behind. It is reported in a Cairo message that special units of experienced South African troops are at present standing ready to participate in the battle when called on. Hitherto the South Africans, apart from the air force, have not been involved in this battle, but are grimly determined to avenge Tobruk. Thousands of American troops, with enormous quantities of equipment, have reached Egypt, says the Daily Telegraph’s Cairo correspondent. American radio reports say that they have already reinforced General Auchinleck’s forces. Fresh Free French units, including the Foreign Legion, motorised Spahis and Senegalese riflemen, have been sent to the front.