ADVANCE HALTED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24837, 10 February 1942, Page 5

ADVANCE HALTED

ROMMEL IN LIBYA HAMPERED BY SANDSTORMS SURVEY OF SITUATION (Rec. 9.40 p.m.) CAIRO, Feb. 8; Field-marshal advance towards Egypt has been virtually* halted about halfway between Dema., and _ Tobruk. Violent sandstorms have - hampered Rommel’s momentum, caus- x ing him to loosen his grip on s the initiative.- ■ ' • '. • * * ■ ', The chief military importance of £1 Gazala, which the enemy claims to have reoccupied, lies in a number ot excellent landing grounds which line the main road for several miles to the cast. Gazala also -marks the point where a break in the-escarpment; running well.“inland, affords natural defence facilities. The coastal outline and the configuration of the desert combine to present an army marching eastwards with the dilemma of attacking a nax-row front to force the coastal road or performing a wide outflanking movement: in -the desert, where ground oommuni€ations w * are 'wore favourable for defence; Rommel probably considers it a race between him and us to get reinforcements into action, and the German High Command is thought to be anxious to avoid again losing prestige and will accordingly send everything which :it is possible to send. Many Vehicles Destroyed Accord ujg to an official statement issued in Cairo, no fewer. than 140 enemy vehicles have been destroyed and 297 damaged in the fighting from January 26 to February ,5. While many were transport lorries, many were staff cars, petrol lorries and , wireless vans.

Commenting on this announcement, the Air Ministry says that the most difficult enemy casualty figures to assess are those which relate to these destructive operations. The Air Force rule is that no enemy vehicle can be reported destroyed unless it is blown up or bursts into flames. A lorry can be peppered with bullets, the petrol tank riddled, and the engine wrecked, but if there has been no fire the vehicle is reported only damaged; consequently the final figures are certainly minimised. Air ’ Offensive A Cairo communique states: “In Cyrenaica air patrols and mobile columns operated over a wide area west and south-west of our front about Gazala without engaging any important bodies of the enemy. Meanwnile our fighters continued their protective sweeps over our own forward troops, while our bombers again successfully attacked enemy targets at : Jebel Ash jar and lines of communication in the rear.” ■ .