FIERCE BOMBARDMENT

Waikato Times, Volume 131, Issue 21752, 11 June 1942, Page 3

FIERCE BOMBARDMENT

BIR HAKEIM STANDS FIRM ENEMY ATTACKS REPULSED lUfTl' ial Wireless) (Received June 11, 11.40 a.m.) RUGBY, June 10 According to an agency correspondent with the Eignth Army the enemy appears to be concentrating on taking Bir Hakeim in the hope of reducing their lines of communication by **o to 50 miles. Finding it impossible to overwhelm the French garrison witn mobile artillery and close support by infantry and guns, they opened the bombardment with long and medium range field guns, supported by squadrons of dive-bembers. From morning till night yesterday and throughout last night the German artillery maintained its fire, but all attacks were repulsed, with the assistance of the British armoured forces whicn had been despatched to the area. While the enemy main forces moved to subdue the French resistance, the only fighting around the Knightsbridge and “Cauldron” area was the constant harassing of the Axis convoys close to the original gap in the minefield. About Bir Hakeim the thunder of long-range artillery rolled across the desert, and after a day of the fiercest fighting, in which the timely arrival of British forces turned the scale, the Tricolour still was flying at sunset over the desert citadel. Merc and more the main battle ground is moving to the extreme south, where the enemy has been driven off more than a dozen times and where yesterday General Koenig ordered a counterattack towards the north, which threw the enemy into the inecming British reinforcements. In the meantime a British column got we! 1 on to the enemy's supply lines in that area. Decision Expected Soon The correspondent estimates that yesterday’s battle was probably one of the greatest yet fought in the desert, and so long as supplies are coming in to the fighting forces the position of the British armies is good. It was felt last night, after the tremendous onslaught by the German artillery, that the coming hours would be decisive. According to information available, the enemy concentrating on Bir Hakeim is in readiness to launch yet another assault. The regular communications are practically nil. The Royal Air Force on Tuesday morning was asked to attend to Stukas which were operating in considerable numbers. It is evident that the tenacious resistance of the Free French is a considerable embarrassment to the enemy. British Help Free French A Middle East war communique states: British armoured and motorised forces yesterday assisted the Free French at Bir Hakeim in driving off a large-scale attack by the enemy, who used an increased number of tanks and dive-bombers, also infantry and artillery. In the “Cauldron” area some of our armoured units engaged in longrange duels with the enemy armoured forces.