NOTES ON THE WAR

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XXXI, Issue 8838, 30 October 1942, Page 2

NOTES ON THE WAR

PURE FRONTAL ATTACK OFFENSiVE IN DESERT DIMINISHED GERMAN POWER In the new attack on the Afr- > rika Korps there was no altet- ■ native to a pure frontal action, always difficult, almost certain to be costly. Beginning on Friday night by the light of the moon, the Eighth Army' had, by Monday morning, overcome about half the depth of the Axis defences, comprising two entrenched lines, and was confronted by two or three miles more of strongly-held positions. , With the battle area strictly confined between the sea to the north and_the Qattara Depression to the south, and short enough (about 40 miles) to - be very heavily protected and manned over its whole length, there was no opportunity for tank forces to open the battle as in the former desert campaigns. The conflict' reverted towards the “west front” type, with the modifications due to new weapons. It was a case of artillery clearing the ground for infantry, and then opening up a way for “cavalry.” . In this battle, the guns put over a very heavy barrage, which stepped forward at intervals to allow the. troops to advance. In the morning the bombardment was assisted by aerial bombing.' In this first stage of the battle some of the operations were completed ahead of time-table, Not Ready for Tanks Yet It is evident that the bottleneck must be more or less completely cleared over a considerable width before the armoured forces can be used effectively; but as the defences are in the narrowest part, there may be a dramatic change in the character of "the battle as soon as a gap is punched through. If the enemy’s defences . can be pierced in sufficient width to enable armoured units to rush through in mass and fan out in the rear, the fight will probably slvitch suddenly into another whirling confusion of machines, complicated by the close presence of masses of infantry and guns, before the British tanks can get clear into the rear of the enemy and smash his lines of communication. But before that stage is reached, there will be another heavy frontal battle with artillery and infantry.

Test at Stalingrad

The great battle of Stalingrad shows little change. The city—if it can still be called a city—is Still “precariously” held, but clings obstinately to life. It is perhaps fair to say that the concentration of the major part of Germany’s military, might against this single small sector of the Russian front, without success against defenders whose position is theoretically - impossible, is a true measure of German failure. For more than nine; weeks Stalingrad has been under direct attack, and the Germans have been steadily losing men and materia] at a disastrous rate.

From the beginning of the assault it was apparent that this was literally a battle for time. The Red Army must hold out. till winter brings relief. But what will happen then is, at this distance, a matter of pure speculation. The Volga, now a useful supply route for the Russians, will for a time be unusable, 'between the time when it is clear of ice and the time when it freezes soundly. That may prove a very difficult time for the Russians in Stalingrad and its neighbourhood. Dwindling Power

In the Caucasus, which for so long occupied the role of being the Germans’ principal objective in the war on Russia, the defenders are holding their own. It is an open question whether the German failure to conquer here is due' to the enormous effort being made at Stalingrad, or to a lowered estimate of the importance of a Caucasus victory. The whole Russian campaign this year has shown the diminished power of the Germans to continue their vast offensive storm. Far from fighting successfully over a front of a thousand miles, they are held to a standstill on a few short sectors of maximum activity,