Much Manoeuvring For Position

Wairarapa Times-Age, 16 June 1942, Page 3

Much Manoeuvring For Position

THRUSTS AND COUNTER-THRUSTS BY MOBILE FORCES CONTINUED TOLL OF ENEMY AIRCRAFT OVER MALTA LONDON, June 15. A fierce tank battle is raging south of Tobruk and General Bitchie’s forces have cleared the enemy from east of El Adem. Allied forces are manoeuvring so as to be able to deal with any surprise which the next Axis move may bring. A Cairo communique states that the Eighth Army is counter-attacking vigorously and is in process of adjusting its dispositions to meet developments. There are no fresh details of the turn of the fighting, but the main centre is still south of Acroma. Axis forces are now making desperate attempts to get astride the coast road and so cut off our forces at Gazala, An Italian communique states that Axis forces have reached the coast, but there is no confirmation of this from any other source. The Italians give no indication of the size of the force supposed to have reached the coast a„nd the claim is not mentioned at all by the Germans. Thrusts and counter-thrusts are following one another with bewildering rapidity. British tanks are doing good work in making surprise blows against the enemy’s rear. The Germans are attacking northward and our mobile forces are attacking their rear from the south. To the east the enemy attack apparently intended to dislocate the Eighth Army’s communications, but the enemy forces have been thrown back and the area east of El Adem is now clear of the enemy. In the air the Pv.A.F. is actively attacking enemy targets. The Derna landing ground had two raids in 24 hours. Objectives in Crete, and Taranto in Southern Italy, were also attacked. Malta’s toll of enemy raiders in the last 24 hours is twelve definitely destroyed and others badly damaged. Last night a small enemy force met heavy anti-aircraft gun fire and two German bombers were shot down into the sea. Bombs were dropped near an aerodrome, but no damage was done.