The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-07-06
U. s. Military Observer Says British Should Start
 Offensive at Once HITLER MAY NOT BE
 PLEASED AT RESULT Allied Forces Hitting Hard at Axis; But Peril of In-
 vasiOn Stands
BY LOUIS F. KEEMLE tOf the United Press War Desk)

NCA SAAS OAAAsNA 4 SoD vvsSA DOSAI
 The swift Axis advance in, to Egypt, thanks in large part to Allied air superiority, has been halted, but the peril remains. Marshal win Rommel, in the opinion of Maj. Gen. Charles L. Scott, senior United States military observer in the Middle East, will have to reorganize and bring up reinforcements for a new offensive.
 British and United States bomb. CTS, If they can maintain their pres ent hard-hitting pace, should ha able to make Rommels task difficult but it is doubtful if they alone can prevent it.
 General Scott believes this is the time to take the offensive and drive Rommel back to Matruh and beyond before he can revitalize his forces, worn down by the exhauSting drive across hundreds of miles Of desert.
 However, while the British were able to check his drive, it Is a ques- tion whether they are strong enough to reverse the situation and start driving westward. By bringing in New zealanders, South Africans and other endorsements from Syria and Palestine, the British mustered just enough strength to halt Rommel in the Fl Alamein bottleneck by a narrow margin. ].
 There probably are no more rein forcements available to the British in the Middle East, although the air force is being steadily strength- ened. AS 1t is, the withdrawals from Syria may have dangerously exposed the British position there.
 New Threat Appears
 Assuming that reports of heavy enemy concentrations of parachute, troops in Greece, Crete and the Do- decanese islands are true and not Axis propaganda to mislead the British, new threat may lie from that quarter.
 Such troops could be moved in either of two directions-south to Africa to reinforce Rommel or east ward by way of Cyprus to attack Syria. If the troops are there in the numbers indicated, it seems odd that they did not strike at Syria simul- taneously with Rcmmels drive into Egypt.
 Perhaps they were held to see how Rommel would maxe out. Axis strategy in that case would have been to strike for Syria in the fam iliar tWo-Way squeeze offensive as soon as Rormel crashed through to Alexandria. Since he has failed to do that, they may be employed to replenish his forces for fresh attempt.
 It is questionable whether Hitler would be content with stalemate in Africa at this juncture if he can possibly help 1t. The stakes are high and he has much to gain and everything to lose if he does Mse press his advantage this summer.
 War Report From Cairo
 Cairo, July 6.--(UP)-British Im- perial troops have captured an i'm. portant enemy position on the line SO miles west of Alex andria it was announced today.
 Heavy casualties were inflicted by Imperial troops in a night attack which brought the capture of key axis position, a joint communiqle of the middle eastern command and the Royal Air Force said, at the cost of only slight Imperial casu- alties. It climaxec series of relcnt- less day and night attacks backed by the most powerful plane conccn- tration ever seen in the middle eest
 Three enemy junker-88 divs
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