NAVY AND RAF. PLAY PART

Southland Times, Issue 24598, 21 November 1941, Page 5

NAVY AND RAF. PLAY PART

GROUNDWORK LAID IN ADVANCE

(Rec. 10.10 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 20. The Navy and the Royal Air Force laid the groundwork in advance in Cyrenaica. From a score of desert airfields hundreds of British and American bombers and fighters on Monday attacked every forward enemy landingfield. Gazala, where General Rommel’s dive-bombers are concentrated, was plastered throughout the day, also the

Italian headquarters between Tobruk and Bardia and the coastal road, where a score of supply lorries were caught and burned out.

Towards evening the Navy, which had previously bombarded points on the Libyan coast, swept in again, turning a full-scale six-inch gun barrage on Halfaya Pass, also enemy positions at Solium.

As the troops waited the order to advance, a storm burst on the battlefield. For a time, says The Daily Express correspondent, it was impossible to distinguish between the noise of high explosives on the earth and thunder-claps in the sky. The effect on the enemy must have been terrific. By the first light the general advance was well under way. General Auchinleck told The Daily Express: “We are going to find and fight them. It may be a day or two be-

fore the battle takes shape. It depends where General Rommel is. Our air force is adequate this time and our armoured forces will meet the Germans on somethink like equality. In morale we are far ahead.”

The New York Times correspondent with the British armed forces says the attacking force is the most formidable Britain has yet thrown against the Axis. Its officers are confident.

The London correspondent of The New York Times says the main battle has not yet been joined, but it is expected shortly along the line of Solium, Halfaya and Sidi Omar. It will be the biggest British-German battle of this war.

A communique issued in Cairo states: “So skilfully had our fighting troops been insinuated into their occupation areas and so good were the arrangements for deception and camouflage, coupled with the support of the air force, that enemy observation and interference from the air before and during the advance yesterday were negligible. By evening, when it was raining heavily, our forces had penetrated over 50 miles into enemy territory. Little or no opposition was encountered yesterday. Operations today continued according to plan. ENCIRCLING MOVEMENT The communique indicates a wide encircling movement, almost exactly paralleling General Sir Archibald Wavell’s drive last year. The morning papers emphasize that the Cyrenaica advance opens up a second front. The military correspondent of The Times says the depth of the advance and the lack of opposition mean that our forces have advanced not through, but round the enemy’s inland flank. The real battle will come after this move is completed. It may even have begun by now.

The Daily Mail’s military correspondent says the offensive is a grand opportunity for the heroic Tobruk garrison, which may attempt a southward move to link up with the British forces driving from Sidi Omar. GENERAL ROMMEL WAS WORRIED (Rec. 6.30 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 19. The military writer of The Daily Express says the commander of the German troops in Africa, General Erwin Rommel, fearing a British attack, flew to Italy a few days ago. He was worried about the continued non-arrival in Cyrenaica of vital supplies and reinforcements and he wanted personally to hurry up the arrangements. He has probably now returned to Tripoli. Some reports say he had begun a tour of inspection of the desert from Solium to Sidi Omar.

There have recently been signs of hectic building of fortifications and also evidence that large groups of troops have been posted at points all along the coast from Solium to Benghazi with the object of guarding against raids like that on Bardia by the “commandos.”