REVIEW OF OPERATIONS

Grey River Argus, 7 November 1942, Page 5

REVIEW OF OPERATIONS

Enemy's Mistake localised his operations. LONDON, November 5. Reuter’s Cairo correspondent says: The Eighth Army achieved a complete surprise in its initial attack. Many Axis front-line positions were not even manned. Although the enemy had been expecting an attack for some time, he was not expecting it either when or where it came. At a critical stage of the battle, when 200 Axis tanks were massed for the attack, the intervention of the Allied Air Force killed the counterthrust before it was begun. Allied •planes attacked seven times mid dropped 80 tons pjf bombs on the area of this concentration within two and a-lialf hours. Marshal Von Rommel blundered m the use of his tanks. He had two German Panzer Divisions, and the Italian Ariete Division in the south. Not until October 26 did Von Rommel begin to grasp the situation, and begin moving up the 21st. Panzer Divison and part of the Ariete Division northward to the. assistance of the 15th. Panzer Division, which by then had been badly knocked about. The threatened counter-thrust < by 200 Axis troops was broken up on October 28. Then the 125th. Panzer Grenadiers, and two Italian Bersaglieri Regiments were practically cut off in the coastal sector. Von Rommel became obsessed with the idea of relieving these troops—a paltry part of his battle force. Forty Axig tanks pushed towards the opening of a pocket and 20 were knocked out. The other 20 tanks got through, upon which the Australians neatly closed the exits with mines. The Axis continued to fritter away armour in small attacks -frying to relieve the coastal situation. Von Rommel was playing the game Montgomery wanted. The Eighth Army meanwhile, had been re-grouped for the final thrust through its bridgehead. When our heavy attack was launched on the night of November - 1, the Axis armour was again split, the 21st. Panzer Division having moved northward to counter-attack. Our armour poured through the gap and took Telakair, and the Axis rout had begun. A British United Press correspondent at Cairo states: The enemy was always kept guessing. It now seems incredible that the enemy should have mistaken the opening battles as merely isolated attacks, but that is apparently what happened. The first phase of the offensive was a thrust from the extreme northern sector, which trapped the enemy’s forces m a pocket. After guessing wrongly on this phase, the Axis commanders, hoping to guard against repeating the error, kept their forces strung out along the entire line, apparently expecting action in the south after the initial attack in the nortn. General Montgomery again fooled them. He continued the thrust in the north. When' the Axis commanders realised what had happened, it was too late to concentrate the strung-out forces for any kind of counter-blow. The enemy found himself unable to contain our forces, and realised he had exposed his southern flank. With hardly any fighting, he suddenly withdrew from strong positions in the south, such as Hime.imat. This was a prelude to the full retreat. London opinion is that the Germans and Italians have been out-generall-ed and outfought. The Eighth Army advance is generally regarded as the first British offensive in North Africa supported by adequacy of all arms. The German defences were deep and strong, and in counter-attack , after cdunter-attack,, the enemy fought well, so that the victory has clearly gone to the best man, —the men who could best “stick it out.” That is the first of three facts, which stand out brilliantly. The second is i.hat General Montgomery has had control of the situation throughout, not only of his own troops, British, Australian, New Zealand, South African and Indian, but ' also of German tactical moves. He has forced the enemy to conform to his own plan, and he refused to be diverted by incidents of lesser importance such as the establishment of an enemv pocket on the I coast (this pocket, known as ThompI son’s Post, is now reported cleared by the Australians). The British commander has given striking illustration of the military principle of "maintenance of objective.” Thirdly, he has accomplished the remarkable integration of various arms of at-tack,-—Army, Navy, Air Force, and within the Armv. infantry, artillery and tanks. The speed and skill with -which the artillery met every situation was particularly noteworthy.

GREAT TANK BATTLE. (Rec. 9.10) LONDON, Nov. 5. The “Daily Express” correspondent described a' great tank battle near Telelakakir on Tuesday afternoon. He says it was fought with the. utmost ruthlessness. Both sides realised the magnitude of the stakes involved. A dusitstorm was kicked up by the battle which equalled the worst storms resulting from natural causes. Whenever a tank was hit a sheet of flame was distinguishable through the encircling gloom. Then there was a dull red glow like a brazier as the tank blazed up. It was a horrible spectacle. Those who were able to jump from burning (tanks ran into the welcome gloom of smoke, sand, and clouds, till machine-guns mowed them down. Some British tank crews, whose tanks were knocked out, were brought from the battle hanging on to the outside of tanks . which were damaged, but were coming out under their own power. The of the men were a bright yellow with the sand, and their clothing was filthy w.ith oil and sweat. Some ot the wounded were bound up with emergency bandages. n . P u„ An Egypt correspondent of rne Times” says: It is estimated that a British armoured brigade on Monday night knocked out seventy tanks, mostly belonging to the Twenty-hrst Panzer Division.

HOST .OF PRISONERS (Rec. 11.40) LONDON, Nov. 6. The British United Press correspondent. Mr McMillan, says: Rommel’s retreat has become a headlong rout apparently, because- our armour smashed through his antitank gun screen. So many prisoners , are falling into our hands that it has not been possible to count them. At first they were Germans, but now they nearly all are Italians. AXIS SEA TRANSPORT. ALMOST ENTIRELY BLOCKED. (Rec. 7.30) LONDON, Nov. 5. A single- Axis tanker has reached Von Rommel during the last six weeks, and Allied air forces have almost closed the Axis Watergate to Egypt. Planes based on Egypt during the first ten days of the present offensive sank six ships, and severely damaged one. In the last three months they have sunk eleven merchantmen, and damaged four, and sank twenty-three flak boats and damaged nine. ___

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