Evening star., 1942-07-05
Nuzis Exhausted, ,
Allowed Pint of
Water Daily
r. the Associated Press.


CAIRO, July 4.-Gen. Sir.
Claude J. E. Auchinleck, waging a
supreme fight for Egypt and the
Near East, threw fresh troops
into a battering assault on weary
Axis forces which were being
pounded on their small strip of
desert positions by the heaviest
aerial attack ever seen in the
Near East.
The first results of the new attack.
launched from positions west OF Ell
Alamein, northern anchor of the
British defenses of vital Egypt, was
the capture of 900 German infantry
men. They were so exhausted after
five weeks of continuous fighting
that they were unable to resist.
Battlefront reports said it was
Gen. Auchinleok's knowledge of the
physical state of the Axis forces,
now down to pint of water a day
In the torrid desert, which led him
to push his offensive to prevent Field
Marshal Erwin Rommel from rest
ing his men or rushing fresh troops
into the battle.
Using New Zealanders.
The British, on the other hand,
were using newly arrived New
Zealand forces as well as British
armored units and South Africans
who have been through the whole
campaign.
Reports from Alexandria said all
kinds of reinforcements, with Amer
lean tanks, guns and other war
equipment, were moving along the
desert highway to the Allies front,
IS miles west of the great naval base.
Both in Cairo and Alexandria, the
people were reported optimistic over
the prospects and fully confident
that the tide of battle was turning
in favor of the Allies. The popula-
ton was calm and all activities were
going on normally.
The continuing assault from the
air. as we'll as Allied artillery, was
having a telling effect on the Axis
forces. At least 40 of Marshal
Rommel's big guns were in Brit
ish hands and number of his
tanks knocked out as the reinforced
British Eighth Army smashed at the
foe In the Ell Alamein area, Brit
ish communique said.
28 Axis Planes Destroyed.
Describing the Allied air attacks
In cooperation with land forces as
unprecedented" the British COM
munique listed % Axis planes as de-
stroyed in the air and on the ground
In yesterdays all-day conflict.
Sixteen of these were German
dive bombers. 13 of which were shot
down in a few minutes in single
spectacular battle over Al Alamein
with squadron of South African
fighters new to the desert.
The South Africans, called to the
attack almost as soon as they arrived
at a desert airdrome, reached the
scene just as the first Stuka was
peeling off to dive against British
troops.
Slashing through the Nazi fighter
escort, the South African hurricanes
shot down the 13 dive-bombers
while explosives still were in the
racks. The awesome roars of the
crashes drowned out the cheers of
the earth bound British soldiery.
IL Allied Planes Lost.
Evidently the RAF and United
States Army airmen in the desert
put their full strength into the
battle. Axis landing grounds, camps
and roads were attacked. Twelve
Allied planes were lost. fThe Ger
mans claimed 2o)
While it was emphasized here that
the British counter-attack did not
indicate that the Germans and
italians were permanently halted, a
British commentator declared the
Axis thrusts had diminished steadily
In numerical strength during the
past three days.
This was tacitly acknowledged by
the German high command, which
said counter attacks undertaken BY
the enemy with reinforcements were
beaten off in hard fighting. Clhc
Germans admitted El Alameln re-
NAMED in British handS)
An observer thus described the
(See EGYPT. Page A-3.l