The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-12-01

with British forces which had made a successful sally from the fortress,
 'Secondly - the frontier area stretching from Halfaya to positions nortli Of Sidl Omar,
 "Thirdly-the southwestern or Galo area
 "On the main front of Ed Duda- aidi Rezegh-Bir Fl HanAd intense fighting continued throughout yeS- terday.
 "In the morning an enemy tank attack from the west was re- pulsed by our arnlored forces due south of Sidii Rezegh,
 "In the frontier zone our troops now are concentrating on the ellm- ination of pockets of resistance in the face of determined opposition by German defenders.
 "Au day our air forces closely supported our ground forces by a heavy and persistent attack on enemy troops and concentrations Of vehicles In the area between El Adem and Ed Duda.
 'sThe observed results Of our bonlb- Ing and low flying attack were high 1y satisfactory. In the southern and western areas our mechanized col umnS are continuing their opera tions."
 Nazls Fight Desperately
 The Germans were fighting des- perateiy in an attempt to escape the British tank and motorized forces in the Rezegh- -Tobruk area, and the spokesman admitted that some of them might break through.
 "But think they will be very few" he commented.
 So far the isolated German and Italian tank units had failed to 0,reak through the cordon at any point, he asserted.
 Artillery and anti-tank gun units were cooperating with infantry in holding back all sorties until tank units could race up to break them, 1nformantS said.
 A communique announced yester- day that British advanced armored forces had reached the Gulf of Sldra at Q point half way between Henghad and Jedabaya, and had Intercepted and destroyed Axis me- ehanical transport in a serious threat to German and Italian com znunications and supply lines.
 The point which the imperial forces reached was not far short of III Agheila, which marked the vest ornmoSt point of the British ad- vance in the great offensive of a year ago.
 The communique announced also the capture of General Won Raven stein, commanding one of the two German tank divisions the 18th and 21st-in Libya. Captured along with 70 other officers and 800 men aG his 2ist division, Ravenstein was taken to Tobruk. where British im- Derial forces had been besieged for xnunths before the British offensive.
 American Made Tanks
 Reinforced British columns, which Included many American made tanks, were moved up from the Egyptian frontier to the Sidi Rezegh Ara to attack the rear of the Ger man tank units, and South African and British mechanized columns were detailed to clear all territory between this battle sector and the frontier, as airplanes bombed and machine gunned the Axis positions.
 An air force officer back from the advanced zone said British ae- rial bombs had wrought termend- uus damage to German and Italian tank forces.
 q saW tangled, twisted wrecks of some tank division covering three miles of the desert" he said. There was nothing left but the mis-shapen hulls of gasoline and ammunition txneks. Over Q seven mile stretch I saw shattered parts 0g between 30 and co VshiclesIS
 some disabled German trucks and motorcycles already have been re- ralrnd arsd put in use by the Britt
 a. the officer said.