The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED "THE TIMES” GISBORNE, MONDAY, JULY 6, 1942. THE BATTLE OF EGYPT

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20828, 6 July 1942, Page 2

The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED "THE TIMES” GISBORNE, MONDAY, JULY 6, 1942. THE BATTLE OF EGYPT

So far, the Battle of Egypt goes well. At headquarters and in London, however, there is tendency to discourage excessive optimism. This attitude is understandable. The Battle of Libya also went well for a start and then, just when it looked as if the Imperial forces were in a position to push home their advantage, General Rommel staged one of the most remarkable recoveries of the war. With this bitter recollection still fresh in mind both the official and the public minds will be hesitant about again drawing premature conclusions. So much depends upon the outcome of the present struggle that caution is •wise, but caution regarding the future need not temper the satisfaction at the outcome of the encounters that have already taken place. General Rommel, in all the existing circumstances, cannot afford to delay. This, as much perhaps as sound military tactics, dictated his early attacks on the new Allied positions in the Alamein area. So far those attacks have not only failed but have resulted in substantial reverses for the enemy. This is a good augury for the future. Compelled to withdraw, General Auchin- ' leek fell ba'ck on to positions of his own choosing and it is those positions that he is now defending. So far the fighting has gone all one way; there is reason to hope that it will continue to do so. Premature conclusions, as has been said, must be avoided, but there are some factors in the recent fighting which are impressive and encouraging. Primarily is the strong reinforcement of the Eighth Army which, despite its vicissitudes, has been maintained as an efficient fighting force. Then there is considerable evidence that the German tank units have lost some of their striking power. This is possibly due to a combination of factors—losses in the field, the wear nnd tear on men and machines, and, perhaps most important, the fact that tanks are less effective against welldefended artillery positions than in desert warfare. Another important point is the apparent maintenance of Allied superiority in the air; in fact, the accounts of air force co-operation with the Imperial Army constitute one of the most impressive features of last week’s operations. It may be, of course, that General Rommel, as in Libya, is holding his air strength in reserve or that it will be reinforced, but in the meantime the Allies are making good use of their superiority to take heavy toll of the enemy. A final factor, and not by any means the least important, is the magnificent spirit which is animating the Allies and the excellent generalship which, more than once, has enabled them to turn the tables on the enemy. It is something a good deal more than wishful thinking to suggest that in this campaign an early victory is essential to the Axis. It is to be assumed that General Rommel has had a certain force allotted to him for use in North Africa and that strong reinforcements will not be available to him at a moment’s notice. If he does receive reinforcements they are more likely to be Italians than Germans, who are sorely needed for the new offensive on the Russian front. These reinforcements must first cross the Mediterranean —not a long journey, but attended by a certain amount of hazard—and must then move up to the front line, a distance which would vary according to whether Tripoli, Benghazi, or Tobruk were used. The latter part of this line is subject to constant attack from the air and Tobruk has received a heavy hammering from British and United States planes. On the whole, however, it seems probable that the Axis lines are now less liable to interruption than they were before the Allied retirement, but this advantage would be offset by the length of them. On the other hand, although the main British lines are much longer, they have substantial reinforcements close at hand and the communications between the bases and the front line are shorter than they have ever been before.

It will thus be seen that there are advantages and disadvantages for both sides in the present position. It is important that the Allies have more than succeeded in withstanding General Rommel’s first attacks. It might have been expected, perhaps, that the enemy, by maintaining his pressure while the Allied withdrawal was continuing, would have secured some initial gains. The contrary, however, appears to have been the case. The withdrawal was clearly well planned and the successful rearguard actions which were fought—and in which the New Zealanders played such a conspicuous part—enabled the new position to be prepared before the Germans attacked. The result was that the first onslaughts were beaten off while in the succeeding ones General Auchinleck, by daring and well-timed operations, was able to launch counter-attacks which resulted in substantial enemy losses of men and material. If General Rommel is compelled to continue the fighting with his original troops, he will clearly be at a disadvantage through their exhaustion, of which there is already evidence, while General Auchinleck will obviously benefit by the fresh forces which he is able to employ. The Battle of Egypt is, still a long way from being won, but after a week of fighting it can be asserted with a good deal of confidence that the outlook is considerably improved.