STUBBORN BRITISH RESISTANCE

Waikato Times, Volume 131, Issue 21758, 18 June 1942, Page 3

STUBBORN BRITISH RESISTANCE

ROMMEL’S THRUST NEAR SIDI REZEGH ATTEMPTED ISOLATION OF TOBRUK OPPOSED LONDON, June 17 No serious change has occurred in the Libyan battle in the past 24 hours. Lieutenant-General Ritchie’s forces are stubbornly resisting enemy thrusts southward of Tobruk. Acroma and El Adem are still holding out. In his thrust in the Sidi Rezegh area General Rommel apparently intends to drive northward to the coast eastward of Tobruk and thus isolate that stronghold, hut he is meeting fierce opposition and has not made much progress. In one assault in this area 10 of 30 enemy tanks were destroyed. The First South African Division and the 15th British Division, which withdrew from Gazala, are in the Tobruk region. Lieutenant-General Ritchie is ready for the next Axis move in this battle. His army is intact and mobile and still constitutes a barrier to Tobruk.

Attack Broken Up A Cairo headquarters communique states: Our forces on June 16 broke up an attack by enemy armoured divisions against our positions at Sidi Rezegh. We repulsed an all-day attack against our positions at Acroma. An enemy force whicn formed up opposite our positions at El Adem failed to attack. An enemy patrol in Libya thrust past El Adem toward Sidi Rezegh at dawn yesterday, the movement evidently being aimed at encircling Tobruk. The Royal Air Force severely attacked the enemy force at mid-day and Allied units later engaged it. Evidence that the thrust has been stopped is contained in the latest communique. It says: “ Our forces yesterday broke up enemy armoured forces on our positions at Sidi Rezegh. Attacks on our positions at Acroma, which continued throughout the day, were also repulsed. Enemy forces which formed up opposite our positions at El Adem failed to attack.” A Middle East communique states: Our bombers and fighter-bombers effectively attacked enemy ground forces in the El Adem area on Tuesday. Three enemy machines were shot down. The aerodromes at Berka and Dema were bombed. We lost eight aircraft but five pilots are safe.