Evening star., 1942-12-13
Africa
Continued From First Page)

lin radio said Gen. Montgomery at
tackled with two tank divisions and
two infantry divisions. strongly
supported by planes. at Mersa el
Brega on the Gulf of Sirte Coast
and at another point further in
land just east of Ell Agheila, where
passable ground tunnels down to a
4O-mile deflle between salt marshes
and the sea.
There was no direct confirmation
of this report from Allied sources,
but cryptic statement in Cairo
communique indicated some unusual
operation was in swing.
1t said Developments in the Ell
Agheila area are proceeding accord
ing to plan without interference
from the enemy"
This led to the surmise that Rom
mel was not prepared to make a
determined stand at Ell Agheila. a
little less than 400 miles from his
main base at Tripoli. and might
already be carrying out retreat
His next defensible position prob
ably would be at Misurata, only
about 100 miles east of Tripoli.
The German broadcast itself
omitted the usual claim to repulse of
attacks. and said 'all that is known
is that German bombing squadrons
i attacked the moving British troops
and transports with good results. >
Armored Cars Probe Lines.
Earlier the italian communique
claimed the repu'se of what ap-
parently was large-scale probing by
armored cars, and tine German COM
munique said another thrust by
tanks was turned back
For several DAYS the British 9th
Army has been engaging in intensive
patrol activity by swan" groups OF
tanks. armored cars mobile artillerv
and infantry which have spread out
through the area Immediately in
front of the Axis lines.
These activities are said to have
produced noticeable nervousness
among the Axis forces who have set
off streams of flares and engaged in
aimless artillery Smelling of real OF
imagined enemies among the sand
dune shadows.
! 1t was assumed in London that
! if Rommel was retreating it was
because he had been starved fol-
supplies which Hitler and Musso-
lini have been divertine to Tunisia
in a frantic effort to build up their
forces there.
An attack by Gen. Montgomery
which might turn some of the sup
ply flow back to Rommel therefore
might benefit the British and Amer
leans in their strivings to get ad-
vance air bases into operation and
their forces grouped for a major
offensive against Tunis and Bizerte
An Allied headquarters communi-
que from North Africa said two
tank and infantry attacks were
beaten off yesterday. one in the
Medjez-El-Bab area. IS miles west OF
Tunis and the other to the north.
Half of Nazi Tanks Destroyed.
An Allied spokesman said these
were not as heavy as those OF the
day before when, French COM
munique said. more than half of Is
German tanks which led one of two
attacks toward Medjez-El- Bah were
destroyed
There was no authoritative de-
scription of the situation at Tebour-
ba, 20 miles west of Tunis, or Die
deida. II miles west OF Tunis, but
headquarters statements describing
the road between Medjez-el-Ba
and Tebourba as norman s-land,"
was taken by observers to mean that
the Strengthening of the Allied line
had involved a withdrawal from
those places.
While American four-engine
bombers from Libya or Egypt set
strings Of seething fires and explo-
I SionS along the Naples water front