Evening star., 1942-06-30
Nazis Push as Miles Past Matruh;
British Shift Command in Eqypt;
Reds Cut off Foe on Kursk Front
u. S. Planes Press
Raids on Axis
In Desert Area

IN OeSeIC Area
BY. the Associated Press.
CAIRO, June 30.-Heavy raids
by augmented United States
Army Air Forces on German
Italian tanks in the Egyptian
desert battle area and on bat
tered Tobruk were announced
today as the British indicated
that the enemy had thrust east
ward to the vicinity of Fuka, 140
miles west of Alexandria and As
miles southeast of Matruh.
(Both the German and italian
communiqueS asserted Marshal
Erwin Rommels men already
had reached the area east of
Fuka and the Italians said sew
eral thousand more British troops
had been captured at MatruhD
British headquarters said large
forces of Axis tanks and vehicles
were met and forced back Sunday
west of Fuka, but acknowledged that
the enemy again advanced yesterday
and that fighting was in progress
In the same area.
Qn London, where military OBJ
servers frankly called the situa-
ton grave, Prime Minister
Churchill disclosed in the House
of Commons that Gen. Sir
Claude J. E. Auchinleck, Britains
Near Eastern commander in
chief. had taken personal COM
mand of the 9th Army, suppressed
ing 1t. Gen. Neil M. RitchieD
New Zealanders Help Defense.
Fresh New Zealand troops boil
stored the British defense, while the
strengthened United States air pow
er dropped bombs steadily on the
Axis vehicles and bases. A United
States military observer just back
from the front said the situation
was somewhat improved.
An Raj communiQue said that
last night, as on the previous night,
the Americans heavily raided Axis
ground forces west of Matruh, set
ting numerous fires among armored
vehicles, transports and grounded
planes, and that a raid on Tobruk
set large fires and hit an Axis sup
ply ship amidships,
The Germans raided Alexandria
last night for the second time in "a
hours, killing II persons and wound
ing Ia. Raid alarms also sounded at
Cairo and points in the Nile delta.
Allied battle groups-swift. COM
pact infantry units supported by
anti-tank guns and other weapons
clashed with Axis tanks in the des-
ert, and a number of the enemy ma
chimes were knocked out.
Some Axis armored groups were
caught by surprise outside their
tanks during the night and wiped
out by Britons welding bayonets
and hurting hand grenades. New
Zealanders played on important part
In these assaults.
The American military observer
said. while the situation cannot be
classed as good after such reverses
as have been suffered in the desert.
1t certainly is not hopeless and looks
better now than a few days ago.
THE RAF has kept control of the
air and this has had tremendous
effect on the morale of the troops.
Fall Back in Orderly Manner.
"In the latest phases of the with
drawal they fell back to new posi-
tions assigned to them in the
greatest order, taking almost every
thing with them and leaving MOTH
ing to fall into the hands of the
enemy.
They are keen for new battle"
Besides the New Zealanders, 1t
was disclosed, more Free French
have Joined Britains ground forces,
including fighters from the Foreign
Legion, motorized Spahis and
Senegalese riflemen.
The repair of disabled tanks, a
vital factor at the moment, was
being pressed urgently and mechan-
les were working day and night to
get hundreds of slightly damaged
fighting machines back into action.
The Fuka zone, lying between
abandoned Matruh and Ell Daba, |
where the British may make a
stand, apparently had become the
center of the shifting battle scene
with other fighting eddying to the
area south of Matruh, along the
line Of the Axis supply route.
Dares Not Risk Test.
Britaiu's battered desert army still
dared not risk conclusive test with |
the Axis preponderant armor, how
ever.
In a struggle being waged day
and night over 5000 square miles |
of burning desert, the British were
fighting doggedly to contain the
enemys eastward thrusts and pick
their own time and place for the
decisive stand in defense of the
Nile and Suez.
Nazi Field Marshal Erwin Rom
mel, with momentum and striking
power In his favor, was pounding
the defenders ceaselessly, evidently
with the simple aim of overwhelm-
ing them in a heading plunge to-
ward Alexandria and the Nile Delta.
So far he had failed to destroy the
ICna rCVDT pace AL