GREAT BATTLE OF TANKS

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

GREAT BATTLE OF TANKS

BRITISH DOMINATE BATTLEFIELDS

(Rec. 11.30 pan.) LONDON, Nov. 22. The Cairo correspondent of the Associated Press says it is learned that on Saturday British forces paid a higher price than on the previous days in men and material, but won all of the numerous tank engagements. The British dominate the battlefields and are thus able to recover damaged tanks. But it is understood that the great tank battle may continue for two or three days.

Reuters correspondent with the Bth Army says that on the first day of the attack the enemy concentrated a considerable force of tanks north of Sidi Omar, intending to defend Solium against an attack from the south and to consolidate the strong line barring the British approach to Tobruk. The enemy forces in north-east Libya were largely German. Therefore, it was not surprising to see them fight to the bitter end to deny us the use of Solium harbour.

The spearhead of our advance was a famous cavalry regiment equipped with light tanks. The United States military attache in Egypt, who travelled in a legation waggon bearing the corps diplomatique number plates, and 10 United States military observers accompanied the British advance. OPTIMISTIC VIEWS A British Official Wireless message says the defenders of Tobruk are successfully fighting their way to join up with the Empire forces holding Sidi Rezegh 10 mile's south-east of the outer perimeter defences. This was announced in tonight's war communique from Cairo which confirms the optimistic views concerning the development of operations made in London today. The communique states: “In the triangle between Fort Capuzzo, Gadr Saleh and Sidi Rezegh a heavy tank battle developed over the whole area throughout yesterday. Taking full advantage of the tactical opportunity presented, Lieutenant-General Cunningham interposed his main armoured forces between the principal tank concentration to the east and the lesser one to the west. Repeated attempts by the main German tank forces to break through to the west were defeated. It has not yet been possible to assess the tank casualties on either side, but it is known that the enemy losses have again been greater than ours. TOBRUK’S CONTRIBUTION Meanwhile, British troops from Tobruk, supported by important tank forces which had gradually been introduced into the fortress over a period of many weeks by the Royal Navy, sallied out yesterday morning with the object of joining forces with our troops holding Sidi Rezegh. By midday yesterday a heavily-defended enemy locality three miles south-east of the perimeter defences, together with a smaller position nearby, had been captured and by nightfall the Tobruk force was steadily making progress in the face of heavy opposition. In the frontier area our movement to encircle the Axis forces holding the defended position between Halfaya and Sidi Omar developed satisfactorily throughout the day.

Our air forces maintained their superiority over the enemy and our bombers gave support to the land battle by successful attacks on concentrations of enemy tanks and mechanical support. To sum up, yesterday saw a continuation of the heavy fighting which was to be expected after the German High Command in Africa had recovered from the shock of its original surprise. In all areas the situation is developing to our advantage, though further intensive fighting is to be expected before it will be possible to assess the full results of the heavy blow which has been dealt to the enemy in the

opening phase of this campaign. The great part which the Empire Air Forces are playing in the Libyan battle was described in tonight’s Royal Air Force communique from the Middle East. It says: , “Intensive operations by our fighter and bomber aircraft were carried out in the Libyan battle area on Friday. Heavy bombing raids in which Fortress aircraft took a prominent part were made on the landing ground and dispersal points at Gazala, while throughout the day close support was given to our land forces. At Bir Hacheim concentrations of enemy tanks and motor transport were effectively attacked. Bardia, Menastir and objectives in the Fort Capuzzo area were also bombed. One of our bombers shot down an enemy fighter in flames. ENEMY PLANES DESTROYED “In the course of extensive fighter sweeps enemy aircraft were engaged whenever they were met. Two C.R. 42’s and one G 50 were shot down. In an attack on enemy aircraft on the ground at Slonta three Junkers 87’s and one Junkers 88 and also one unidentified aircraft were destroyed. One Messerschmitt 110 was shot down by fire from the ground. It is now established that 37 enemy aircraft were destroyed on Thursday, not 24 as given in yesterday’s communique. From all the operations five of our aircraft are missing.” RAPID ADVANCE Not a day’s march from El Adem, the vast Libyan aerodrome which the Italians vacated 10 months ago, is the landing ground of Sidi Rezegh. The British land forces, after a short engagement, captured it. On it they found no fewer than 19 aircraft shot up the previous day by our Tomahawks. They were, according to one pilot, “paraded like soldiers.” So rapid had been the operations by our armoured units that the pilots and ground staffs were still on the airfield and were

rounded up and taken prisoner before they were fully aware of their plight. Fifty were seized and, still bewildered, put under guard until vehicles were available.

The Tomahawk aircraft that shot up the landing ground were flown by pilots of a South African squadron. A major described the operations thus: “We expected to firid aircraft dispersed all over the landing ground, but they were neatly lined up on one side with one pilot just taxing into position. There was some anti-aircraft stuff flung up at us, but apart from a few bullet holes in the leading aircraft it did no damage. I knew We had rendered most of them unserviceable.”