The Wilmington morning star., 1942-07-14
BRITISH FLEET ENTERS
INTO BATTLE OF EGYPT
Continued from Page one)


damage to other vessels.
Navy planes also swept over the
Ell Alamein battle zone and shot
up and bombed a concentration of
tanks, trucks and armored cars of
the 18th and 21st German armored
division-which chased the British
out of Libya and to the approaches
of Alexandria. Hundreds of We
hicles were destroyed, one attack
ing pilot said.
All this time the warships had
been on far-flung and unceasing
patrol. Apparently it waited to
strike until it was certain that the
Axis was using Matruh for trans
Mediterranean supplies and rein
forcements, and that the attack
would be worth the risk.
Anti-aircraft guns which might
have beaten of fthe British air
raiders were shened effectively
from the sea, and the fleet gunners
then set fire after fire on the shore
line.
Naval planes also were credited
with destroying an ammunition
dump or a concentration of am
munition trucks west of the Ell
Alamein battle cauldno; other
bombers clasted Tobruk and in the
daylight, the RATS fighter-bomb-
ers shuttled through singing cur
tain of sand to pound the Axis
armored formations.
Dust storms enforced lull in
ground fighting but the Allies clung
firmly to the initiative consolidat-
ing their newly won gains along
the coastal road.
Allied air forces pressed their
ceaseless attacks. 1t was disclosed
that the 500th enemy airplane had
been shot down since last winter S
campaign opened Nov. 18.
GA Reuters dispatch from Cairo
said two RAF planes had bombed
and machine-gunned "Fleseler
Storch" plane of the type used only
by the German comm ander, Mar
shall Erwin Rommel, and his senior
officers, and that all the occupants
were believed killed. One bomb
was said to have hit the plane when
it was only Is feet off the ground
in the Ell Alamein sector).
Artillery roared constantly over
much of the desert front. 70 to 80
miles from Alexandria, and there
were sharp attacks and counter
attacks of a local nature as both
sides went grimly about the busi-
ness of consolidation, reinforce
ment and supply for the coming
showdown.
Gen. Sir Claude Auchinleck's
army of the Nile held on to the i'm
portant ridge of Tel Ell Elsa, along
the sea ten miles west of Ell Ala
mein, occupied in the weekend ad-
vance. The British had repelled one
strong attack in this region
Sunday, while the imperial battle
groups and artillery harassed the
enemy on his southern flank.
The British regard the Tel Ell
Elsa position as vital to German
Marshal Rommel, SO much to that
he is expected to make every Ell
fort to recapture it before trying a
general advance.
Atop this high stony ridge-"The
hill of Jesus"-the Imperials can
command and seriously threaten
the Axis coastal supply lines.
Aussie south African front line
infantry snear-headed the offensive
fighting which took the ridge and
consolidate the positions around it.
When the Aussies, with gun and
bayonet, were pushing westward IN
day-long fighting, mopping up slz-
able groups of Italians. the South
African troops vert spreading out
in bulge southwest of Ell Alameln
taking over the ositions previous
ly cleared by the Aussies.
The South Africans extended the
bulge southwark after heavy shell
ling and the enemy withdrew to
the west, losing at least five tanks
and seven rs nm. guns to an al
tack by British armored units.
The softer sand of this battle
field provides much heavier gong
for tanks and trucks than did Llbya
and they have frequently begged
down. Numerous Italians have
been taken with their vehicles.
Besides total Of we'll over 1000
prisoners taken since last Thurs
day. the British have netted piles
of maps and other enemy docu-
sments.
All the time the Aussies n d
South Africans were fighting they
could hear the steady drone OF
American-made bombers and the
intermittent thud of bombs falling
on the enemy just over the horizon,
and at night the flame and crash
of heavy British GU split the
darkness.
Raj and American aircraft con-
tinued on the alert for more Axis
flying reinforcements crossing the
Mediterranean in their big junkers
52's. A number of these numbering
transports already have been pick
ed off. 3
:SHEADACHES