Attacked By Allies

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XXXX, Issue 9682, 20 June 1941, Page 3

Attacked By Allies

iTH£ CflY OF DAMASCUS! REJECTION OF OUR UITIMATUM VICHY OPPOSITION HEAVY SHELLING OF ROAD LONDON, June 19. Allied forces are now attacking Damascus. This information was given early this morning by a _mihtary spokesman in Jerusalem. He said that a good deal of opposition, as was expected, was being encountered Continuous pressure was being exerted by Allied forces all along the line south and east of the capital The attack, which began at 5.30 this morning, followed the occupation by the Allies, of Mezze, four miles west of the capital. According to the Free French radjo at Jerusalem, General Sir Henry Maitland Wilson requested Genera. Dentz to withdraw" his troops from the capital to save the city from attack. Failing a reply by 5.30 a.m., action would be taken. All important heights have been occupied. An earlier agency message quoted bv British official wireless said that only a favourable opportunity was awaited to throw in Indian and Free French forces to assault Damascus. These forces, according to this report, had reached the western suburbs of the city. Vichy troops were delaying the assault on the city by heavy shelling of the road. Colonel Collet, the Free French commander, and Circassians were reported to be closing in on the city. Vichy troops were still holding out at Mezze, but Allied troops, including Indians, were reported to be pushing along the main road past Kiswe and to the east in the mountainous district of *Jabour Atrizo.

A Jerusalem message states that Australian advance units are now 20 miles north of Sidon on the way to Beirut.

ACTION IN DESERT LARGE-SCALE BATTLE TAKES PLACE AMERICAN TANKS USED LONDON, June 19-

In the big tank battle in the Western Desert General Sir Archibald Wavell for the first time used American tanks, 100 of which were engaged. A reliable profit and loss account of the battle is not yet available, but an indication of the scale of the operations and the size of the German and Italian forces -on the Egyptian frontier is given in an Italian report which says "that an attack by a British force comprising two armoured brigades with 1000 tanks and several mechanised and infantry divisions, met an equally formidable counter-attack from the Axis."

Enemy despatches claim that the attack was aimed at relieving Tobruk.

A communique issued at headquarters in Cairo states that in Libya on Tuesday afternoon Imperial troops repulsed several attacks. The enemy brought up fresh forces with which they attempted an encircling movement against the British forward troops.

"As we had accomplished the object of forcing the enemy to disclose his strength and of inflicting heavy ca&ualties on him, we withdrew slowly to our forward positions," added the communique. "We brought back several hundred German prisoners and destroyed a large number of enemy tanks and guns."