The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-06-26
Ro1nmel Tries Quick
 Smashing Of Egypt
Ccontinued from Page D

in considerable strength, drove through the barbed wire on the Libyan side and on to the edge of the escarpment.
 German engineers, rushed to the front, cleared a pathway to Solum and Hell Fire and the tanks began to file down toward the coastal bowl under the escarpment.
 One column joined the railroad to the east, using the camel tracks on each side of the right of way, while faster columns of the 90th German Light Division drove along the coast to reach Bugbug, 22 miles east of Solunl.
 British troops fought a strong de- laying action but the enemy were able to continue their drive past Sidi Barrani, as the middle eastern command communique reported Thursday.
 The second main column, to the south, kept pace.
 The Douglas Bostons and the Curtiss Kittyhawks of the Royal Air Force were thrown into action and they are maintaining their at- tacks, braving deadly fire from the mobile anti-aircraft units with the Axis spearhead.
 The speed of the German advance is explained at headquarters as due first to Gen. Ritchie's decision not to attempt to hold Solum and Hell Fire Pass and secondly to the need to reorgallize the bulk of the Brit ish armored forces to prepare for larger battles ahead.
 Report from Cairo
 Cairo, June 26.--(UP)-Gerlnan advance forces, now more than 100 miles inside Egypt, reached point 30 miles west of Marsa Matruh, aIls chor of the new British defense line at dusk last night, a middle eastern command communique said today Gin London, military commenta, tors said that the major battle a. Matruh may already have started and that 1t might be one of the most important of the war in Norti Africa, with the Germans throwing in parachute and air-borne troops from Crete. London reported that the Nazis already had repaired anc l were using American-built tanki captured in the Libyan dessert). . 1 Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's advanced spreahead of tanks and armored cars was driving ahead of g powerful Axis army, consisting of all elements, including motorized infantry, and followed by 8 vast supply train, in the greatest enemy drive of the war for Suez. British forces were working al forced speed in an attempt to con. solidate their Marsa Matruh line 40 miles inside Egypt, in an at tempt to stop the Germans and Italians advancing in three colun1rs the main one along the coastal rairoad, two to the south.
 The main forces of Gen. Neil M Ritchie's Sth British Army had not yet engaged the enemy, the com munique revealed.
 But strong mobile forces of tanks and armored cars were roaming the entire battle area, seeking to break up enemy gpearheads and harasf the massed forces following it, tc give the defenders time to ccnsoh. date their emergency line. Middle East sCOmmunique The middle eastern command communique said:
 "Our covering forces again en. gagged enemy advanced troops yes terday.
 "The eneu1y's ,.calE Eo-cc$ necyed along the Axis of the desert rail. way and at last light (dusk yester. day) their leading clements were 30 miles west of Marsa Matruh.
 "Our main forces were not en. gagged"
 Rommel's main army was using the railroad which the British hae built west of Marsa Matruh anc was pushing relentlessIy along 1t using the caravan trails on bott sides.
 Mention that the main British British forces had not been engaged was taken to mean that the cover. ing forces, fighting a difficult reaI guard action. had succeeded iu slowing Rommel's men to some ex- tent.