Manawatu Evening Standard. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 1941 DEFENCE OF EGYPT.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 126, 30 April 1941, Page 6

Manawatu Evening Standard. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 1941 DEFENCE OF EGYPT.

Only five days after Mr Churchill warned the Empire that we must expect hard and severe fighting, not only for the defence of Cyrenaica, but also for the defence of Egypt, part of the German mechanised forces which forced the Imperial troops back to Tobruk and Solium crossed the Egyptian border. They made a detour from Tobruk and occupied Bardia, but the excursion into Egypt was of brief duration. Since then there has been severe fighting around Tobruk, the German and Italian mechanised forces having made strenuous efforts to reduce the Cyrenaican port and town. The garrison, however, has risen nobly to the occasion, and the enemy have not only suffered severe losses in men but have also had uumerous tanks either put out of' action or destroyed. Its resistance is one of the epics of the Libyan campaign. Another advance now has been made into Egypt by the Axis forces by way of the escarpment road made famous in the earlier operations against Marshal Graziani’s army, but its strength has yet to be calculated, though Solium _ apparently has been occupied. Egyptian territory will be sternly defended by the Middle East army, which unfortunately had to be divided for the assistance of Greece. But the obligation that called them there was the fulfilment of an honourable undertaking, and Britain’s cause would have suffered a severe moral setback had Hitler been able to tell the Greeks that in their hour of anguish the Empire deserted an ally.

Germany lias liad lo build up in Tripoli for this assault upon Cyrenaica and Egypt what Italy lost in the brilliant Imperial viptories early this year. Marshal Graziani’s bases were well stocked before he’moved forward to Sidi Barrani, and all these supplies were either captured or destroyed during' the British advance. But it is not an easy task to maintain the essential supplies for mechanised warfare. Tankers and convoys have been destroyed by British naval units, men and extremely valuable equipment being lost at sea by the Axis forces. The bombardment of Tripoli last week was another disastrous blow for an-enemy whose material losses have again been on a tremendously high scale. Meanwhile, the Air Force is pounding his bases —the harbours of Tripoli and Benghazi with their important shipping and warehouses yet remaining untouched. and aerodromes up to the Egyptian border, as well as mechanised units moving forward for the next assault. The end of the desert campaigning season is now approaching and both Germany and Italy must find it an extremely difficult task to keep their armies and equipment well provided with essential supplies as the Royal . Air Force batters the bases in the rear. With the withdrawal of Imperial forces from Greece and the liberation of troops from Abyssinia, the Army of the Nile will be tremendously strengthened to withstand Axis attacks.