BRITISH RETAIN INITIATIVE

Southland Times, Issue 24600, 24 November 1941, Page 5

BRITISH RETAIN INITIATIVE

Many Axis Tanks Destroyed

(Rec. 7.30 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 21. The thunder of battle resounds over vast stretches of the desert tonight as the British and Imperial forces continue their unrelenting pursuit and destruction of the Germans and Italians. In the words of an authoritative military spokesman in Cairo late tonight, “the initiative remains with us. General Erwin Rommel is trying to break through our ring, but his situation is becoming more unfavourable.” British land and air forces have already destroyed or captured 130 German and 57 Italian tanks. The British losses, authoritatively, were one-third of the German and Italian losses, namely about 60. The Axis forces have so far lost 69 planes (19 captured almost intact at Rezegh), while the British and Dominion Air Forces have lost 14.

The troops in the wake of the armoured spearheads are thrusting northward behind Sidi Omar to cut off the frontier line defences on which the Germans and Italians spent so much time and effort. To their right they see great columns of black smoke shooting up on the horizon as artillery on the Egyptian side of the frontier pounds fortifications and lays down barrages for the attacking troops. General Rommel realizes the seriousness of this northward drive, and, according to a Cairo military spokesman, the Germans today made three separate attacks 45 miles west of Capuzzo in an effort to break through. They were driven back each time with heavy losses. This is where the Germans on Wednesday and Thursday lost 54 tanks. Our lightning advance to Rezegh put us astride of General Rommel’s main line of retreat and supply. THRUST CONSOLIDATED Lieutenant-General Cunningham apparently consolidated this thrust by rushing up the major armoured forces and establishing what a Cairo spokesman called a ring round the German forces north-east of Libya. General Rommel is believed to have some armoured forces west of Tobruk, but their strength is unknown. The Italians, according to the latest reports, are retreating to there, but it is possible that they have since been brought to battle. Whatever the outcome, LieutenantGeneral Cunningham has apparently succeeded brilliantly in splitting the Axis forces by consolidating the wedge to Rezegh and forcing a separate engagement with the Italians at Birelgobi.

The lightning speed of the British operations is illustrated in the capture of the Rezegh aerodrome. Fifty pilots and members of the ground staff were still on the air field. The British rounded them up before they were aware of their plight. The official military spokesman in Cairo said the Germans by Friday evening had lost half of their tank forces. The Axis tank losses up to Thursday night were given as 187, suggesting that Lieutenant-General Cunningham’s offensive has swept on to tremendous successes in the last 24 hours.

The battle in Cyrenaica was joined in earnest yesterday afternoon, says a Cairo communique. Following the rapid advance of the two previous days our armoured forces on Thursday engaged German tanks in strength in the vicinity of Rezegh. After losing 70 tanks and 33 armoured cars, the Germans withdrew, leaving several hundred prisoners in our hands.

Between this area and Sidi Omar a further British armoured formation went into action against yet another concentration of German tanks which had advanced southward from the Bardia and Gambut area. The Germans during their first action on Wednesday sustained 26 tank casualties against 20 British tank casualties. This action was' resumed yesterday morning, resulting in the enemy finally being driven off to the north-east and losing a further 34 tanks. The situation in the Birelgobi area is less clear, except for the fact that the Italian armoured division as originally deployed in this area has apparently exerted no influence on the battle now proceeding. HEAVY PRESSURE Heavy pressure continues on the enemy holding the defences between Halfaya and Sidi Omar. The Imperial forces, meanwhile, with more British tank formations, are steadily making ground northwards in a movement westward of the Sidi Omar locality. In other parts‘of the huge battle arena strong British armoured and mechanized olumns made a deep penetration in a number of directions, all threatening the enemy’s main lines of communication.

(The Official War Correspondent’s description of the New Zealand Division’s advance to the Libyan border is printed on Page 6.)