MOST SUCCESSFUL

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXII, Issue 253, 24 September 1942, Page 5

MOST SUCCESSFUL

DARING DESERT RAID.

(N.Z. Press Association —Copyright.) LONDON, Sept. 23. Tho first official news of the desert fighting 500 miles from the El Alamein line is given in a communique from Cairo Headquarters. The attack on the Gialo Oasis reported earlier was part of an operation started on Sunday of last week directed against Benghazi and Barce The operations were most successful. In the attacks on the two Axisoccupied ports heavy casualties were inflicted on personnel and motor transport. Over 30 aircraft were damaged or destroyed on the ground, and several others were shot down while attacking our troop 3 Far back in the desert, 230 miles south-east of Benghazi, the Gialo Oasis was occupied and considerable casualties were inflicted on the enemy. Dumps of munitions and supplies were destroyed, after virion tlie raiding forces returned to their base at El Alamcin.

The text of the Italian communique reporting the operation is: "The Italian garrison at Gialo was attacked at dawn on September 16 by numerically superior motorised and armoured forces coming in from the direction of the Sahara and bitter fighting took place. The initial attack was repulsed and, supported by artillery fire, tho resistance of the garrison was firmly and tenaciously maintained the following day. The defence was also strongly supported by the repeated intervention of Italian and German air units, which inflicted heavy losses in men and materials on the enemy. The fighting continued until yesterday, when Axis motorised columns sent 'to reinforce the garrison camo on the seen?. The enemy forces disengaged and retreated towards the south pursued and hammered by Axis planes." GERMAN LEADERS DISAGREE.

Neutral reports reveal an acute difference of opinion between Rommel and Kesselring (commander of the German forces in Italy), says the aeronautical correspondent of the Daily Express. Rommel recently secretly visited Kesselring's headquarters near Rome, where he laid the charge that inadequate air support was given Axis forces in thei■• attack early in September. Kesselring said that all available aircraft had been sent to North Africa for the attack in September, when the Luftwaffe's strength was as great as when Rommel broke through to El Alamein.

"The Germans have largely stopped using freighters for the transport of tanks and vehicles to North Africa," says Reuter's Cairo correspondent. "Instead, they are using self-propelled lighters which cross the Mediterranean directly to Tobruk or first go to Benghazi and thence sail along the coast to Tobruk or Mersa Matruh."

The Vichy radio says that observers at La Linea report _ that 200 planes unloaded 'from ships at Gibraltar in the last four days flew eastward after assembly. In addition, in the same period about 50 bomber? landed at Gibraltar, refuelled, and flew on eastward. Nine Flying Fortresces took off eastward this morning. .