Imperial Valley press., 1942-11-03
BY LEON KAY

BY LEON NAY
CAIRO, Nov. Sup - British
and German tanks we're locked in
an "armored battle of considerable
scale" today on the northern Sec
tor of the Alamein line, a BritiS,l
communique said.
The battle was being fought in
the coastal sector of the Axis forti-
fications, where Australian troops
had broken through and isolated
upwards of $500 German and Ital-
ian soldiers.
(Radio Berlin described the en-
gagement as "a gigantic tank bat
tie" The Paris radio, German con-
trolled, said the bulk of Axis tank
forces in Egypt were participating
in what it called the second phase
of the North African battle0
ROMMEL ATTACKS
Marshal Erwin Rommel, attempt
ing to prevent the Australians from
thanking his coastal positions and
thus paving the way for a large
scale eak-through that might un-
| hinge his entire North African
campaign, attacked British positions
Sunday night, the communique said.
His Afrika Korps was thrown back
by Lieut.. Gen. B. L. Montgomery's
eighth army Imperials.
Yesterday" the communiaue
said, IAN armored battle of consid-
cradle scale developed. Heavy fight
ing continues
The pocketed Axis forces were be-
lieved trapped beyond Tel Ell Elsa
! (The Hill of jesus on the Medi-
terranean coast
There were reports that the Aus
tralians who cut across the Alex
andria- -Matruh railroad after driv-
| ing a Spearhead through the Axis
forward positions and turning north,
| had reached as far as Sidi Add Ell
Rahman, 25 miles west of Alamein.
CORRIDOR OPEN
They had not completely isolated
the Afrika Korps detachment, how
ever Front reports said German
tanks had succeeded in keeping
narrow corridor open, and through
! that wedge Rommel sent heavy
Mark w tanks to aid the trapped
infantrymen.
Battle reports from correspondents
said Rommel was making unstint-
ing use of shock troops, backed up
! by artillery and heavy mortars in
an effort to widen the gap in the
Australian. encirclenent. The Brit
ish moved up their guns, partic-
ularly anti-tank guns, to batter the
isolated Axis forces.
The Afrika Korps was making
sporadic attacks all along the Ala
mein line, but the Imperials were
holding the positions they had won
i'll their first surge forward.
BRITISH ADVANCE
In the extreme south, near the
qattara depression end of the mar
row, 4O-mile fighting front, Brit
ish infantry attacked yesterday
making an important advance, the
communique, issued jointly by the
British Middle East command and
the Royal Air Force, said. Allied
aircraft, with American units bear
ing a major share of the work,
maintained an umbrella of suprem-
acy above the troops and tanks
struggling on the western desert
sands.
Fighter planes intercepted for
nations of German dive bombers
which attempted unsuccessfully,
for the second straight day, to bomb
British forward positions. At least
five German Junkers-87's were de-
, stroyed, the communique said
) Six other enemy aircraft were
shot down over the desert battle
field and at least seven more set
afire on the ground. One hostile
plane was shot down by Allied
heavy bombers during raid \
Tobruk and a German MesseIt
schmitt-09 fighter destroyed over
: Malta.
NAZI PLANES DOWNED
: It was one of the heaviest one
= day bags of the campaign. Allieo
, air forces destroyed at least 2t
Axis aircraft, and, in all operations
lost 13 of their own, the commune
: que said.
= A strong force of Allied medium
bombers, operating in conjunction
with naval aircraft, attacked enemy
E positions in the battle area con.
= tinuously Sunday night, inflictine
heavy damage on the Afrika Korps
t concentrations.
= At dawn yesterday, another force
raided an enemy air field and thei
2 bombs set fire to seven planes. Man,