The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-05-28
Tanks Smashing Each Other In Death Blows
Continued from Page 1)

east of Sir Hachiem. It is not yet possible to assess the results OF these engagemnts which covered 8 wide area
 "The attack by enemy armored forces agaipnst the Sir Hachiem de- lenses was repulsed with loss to the enemy.
 During the day enemy tanks ap- preached our positions south Of Fl Gazala and suffered casualties. Our positions remain intact.
 "Throughout the day the royal air force vigorously attacked the enemy, supporting our land forces, con- tinuously attacking enemy trsrs- ports and successfully intercepting enemy air attacks against our troops"
 WITH BRITISH AT FRONT
 (Richard ID. McMillan, United
 Press war correspondent who has
 followed the Libyan fighting in
 the front lines for two years, has
 arrived in the western desert by
 plane and car from CairO.)
 
 By RICHARD ID. MCMILLAN Limited Press Staff COrrespOndent)
 With the British Eighth Army in the Libyan Desert, May 28.-(UP)- British and German armored forces are in action today in the opening phase of the fifth campaign of the Libyan war.
 In the haze and choking dust of the desert, under blistering sun, the tanks are smashing against each other and heavy and light field guns are blasting away.
 Anti-aircraft guns are in action against German and Italian planes, and as I write fleet of Royal Air Force fighter planes are roaring westward to the attack.
 For miles back to the east, heavy tanks, artillery, aati-tank and other armored and nechanized units are rumbling forward over the roads and desert tracks, marking their progress by the gray geysers of grit and dust which they send uP UU ulCCb U11S ou4U W41ACA UAdASo in 8 blue sky.
 The Germans and Italians select ed for their attack the hottest weather of the year.
 Diversion From Soviet Front
 For some time the British gen. eral staff had known that Col. Gen. Erwin Rommel, the star German tank corps commander, had receiv- ed orders from Adolf Hitler person. ally to create a diversion from the Russian front.
 It is possible to reveal now that the enemy has been using special barges and ferries to rush tanks and otner endorsements from Italy into small coves and ports along the coast between Derna and Benghazi to the west of the imperial lines.
 The British air force has been kept busy defending Malta, SO the passage of the Sicily Strait was pos- sible.
 The show began during the week end when German and Italian planes bombed British positions. They returned with increased pow- CT Monday night.
 Tuesday night and yesterday they gave Us everything they had and in the front lines and far back in the rear there was an inferno of bomb ing.
 Stuka dive-bombers, junker SSs' Messehschmitts-110s went for the roads, bombing and machine gum ming.
 AS I drove to the front lines, the German and Italian planes roared over our lines in impressivel heavy waves.
 Their flares burst in long chains and hung in the velvet sky, con- peting with the moon which lighted the desert with spectral brilliance.
 They went for our tanks and supply columns.
 Writer Scoops Out Trench
 hastily scooped out sand to make @ slit trench with two Yorkshire lads, both drivers in Q water cone voy which the Germans tried to hit.
 OVAAAbc 14AA " oGCA 0AAAStO oRANJS6 around us. That was bad enough but the Libyan panzers, the colonies of large ants, took hand in the of. fensive, covering our faces and bodies as we squeezed down into the sand.
 As I reached the front area, the sun was burning down with an in- tensIty that seems to increase holrs ly. The troops of both sides feel the heat and are always thirsty. Brit ish troops get a haif-pint tin of beer week.
 After their Stukas, Junkers. Hein- kels and Italian bombers had spent . whole night in linremitting raids, tr..ing to rattle the British forces, the Germans moved forward big tank and other aynored forces around the Tmimi area on the coast and In the Bir Hacheim well center 70 miles south of Tobruk.
 NaEis Split Commands
 The German command split It's RnWaAg iFakA kWA strong armOFAd cole