The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-06-18
ritish Troops Meet Germans Man To Man
Cconslnued from Page D

(Continuod e<1ai terms for tho first time. We 4ste got equality of tanks. infan- EfH, meehnEiised uniss and l even
 Ieye we match him In fighter m Inferno of Explosion
 %hls aFea of the desert has been Mns lnfefno of explosion and flame lsHeuRhout the day, Tho Imperial Mnd German armies have thrown in everything they possessed. Hurs Mredg of tanks have raced along tho &AeeTtt rails. HowitzorB and n1es alum and light fieid guns and aflti- tAisk guns have thundered from SnN early hours of this morning ufl- fli dusk. Fighter planes have spat death at each other in tho skies.
 The Germans had built new zlife of defenscs along the South- eastern fringe of Hell Fire Pass to srys Co keep their grip on this vital s|Iie. between the top Of tho escaTp- zaofit and the plain below Sollufn, And t ts this line which the empire 5efces are smashing now,
 The sun rose this morning on 6 Mhite, snakelike line Of forts which looked like Q slice of the chalk cliffs 9s Dover. By this evening 1t was & line Of wreckage, pounded into dust by British artilelry. The Inc Hlans were out there with the knnks fighting until late hour.
 Now tho night sky b lighted Nafldiy by shell fire. Earlier, the &geat Bpiin1es of smoke rising from blhzing supply dumps and the spiral. ane dust spoutS sent up by the mFtlieiFy shells created the iinprcS. A|on of 6 strange mirage aS the Baciten sun sank beyond Sollum Dafacks, throwing it's golden beams on the wreckage Of tho battlefield. l Out Go the Tanks
 Zero hour Was c 6. iTl, The tanks #ent out, throwing Up Q great cur- eain Of dust toward the Llbyan kEontier. They cut through the MsFinaF wire, swung in c wide BeTT1i- eIFcie, and swept in on top of the EhFrison of Fort capuzzo, on the Nibyan side.
 If 0ne tank fell out there was an- AEher to replace 1t. Hour after hour, 4ankg, bTen gun carriers, infantry sIaen with tommy guns and bren Aiang, smashed at tho Germans until shey had put \ steel ring around &hein. Tic empire troops killed Msany Germans and captured many @sIs0ners, including some Italians. "A tanker just back from Ca- NliEzo told me:
 If the fort was c ruin before, ft has been rubbed out now"
 During the height of the battle xsaW . iimping figure emerge from fsse smoke Of battle. He looked Ike an Indian but when he ap- sFoacied mo I SEW he wore a jersey and q crash helmet His hands and xace were Bmeared with blood. His khakl shorts dripped blood and oil.
 "f eni eiad to sec you," no said, A1 an c Hurricane pilot. just made F@ forced landing. 4 cannot shot brought me down while l was in . Aog light"
 IN Walker Eight MileS
 He had walked eight miles from NfeiI Tsire Pass. gave him cig- &Fetg and tea and took him 10 c AiFst aid dressing station c few huts Hfed yards in the rear along Ben- AE0 Mussolinis vaunted but unfin- azhed Vie Vittoria-The Street of &ictogy.
 If tho British gre able to con- Ysaidate their positions here and hold against German eotinteF-attackB zhey viii be on solid ground from which to push on to Tobruk. Z The Germans gre sure to come Back fierceiy and try to Vindicate their regulations.
 As end this dispatch the stars nfe out in the great vault Of the heavens. Both sides are bringing fIp fresh troops, stores, shells, tanks, Heady for the next clash at dawn, #The British hope that they may ee able to swing the entire North African situation in their favor and more than Fe-estabiish the equili. Niuni upset by the loss of Crete. British Faii Back
 Cairo, June i8-(UP) - British middle eastern headquarters rcport- Nh today British forces in Libyl have fallen back to their previous Forward positions after terrific Battle with Axis troops.
 M The eemmunique said that the withdrawal was carried out after the imperial forces had accomplished Inc objective Of their attack upon 4he Axis lines around gollum.
 The coninaunique said the Brit fsh withdrew after forcing the efl- elny to disclose his strength and af- ter infiicting heavy casualties upon ne Axis garrisoas along the Lbyan Frontier.
 we brought back several hun- dFed German prisoners and de- stroyed 6 large number of enemy tanks and guns, the communique said.
 The conmunique said the with saraWai came after several enemy Mttacks with fresh forces had been beaten of.
 The Germans, middle eastern headQuarters said, attempted to en- circle British forward troops.
 On the Syrian front, the conl- zsaunique reported that allied patrols now are within 20 f1i;eg Of Beirut -ail advance of some two miles beiond eaida.
 South of Damascus" the com- xnunique said, "allied forces made Further headway faced by the xtrong opposition of Vichy troops"
 On the central Syrian front, the middle east command said, allied forces launched counter-a attacks against Vichy troops which have 4ecaptured Merdjayoun and Kun eitra. 4 French counter attack at Jezzlne was repuiSed.
 No Decisive Turn
 London, June i8 - (UP) - Tho s.naain forces of the British anc Herman armies in North Africa are LUNCHEON AND MEALS "A A