The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1942-06-29
War

Continued from Page Onc)
tenders retained power to cut off
that Axis arm or could withdraw
from Matruh to a new stand
somewhere deeper eastward on
the coastal road to the all-lm-
portant valley Of the Nile less
than 200 miles away.
CONFLICT SPREADS
The Cairo communicate said
that the conflict was spreading
over "a very large area but
added that no details were avail
able leaving the general situa-
ton in doubt on this third day
of the whirling battle on which
the whole Allied position in the
middle east may depend.
Mobile and armored forces Of
both sides were reported fierce
ly engaged southwest as we'll as
southeast of Matruh.
By the accident Of geography
and military design, this little
seaside Arab community, perch
cd on the edge of EGypts scOrCh-
ing western desert, had been
made the pivot of the battle for
strategic position in the middle
east.
Matruh is the terminus of a
railway leading to the Nile val
ley and the British base at Alex
andria. From it the British had
extended a narrow gauge line
to supply their new liquidatcd
invasion of Italian Libya. Ma
truth lies 1870 miles inside Egypt.
Al additional thrcat-still not
materialized-to the Mcditerran-
can flank Of the defense forces
i'm Egypt was a concentration of
German air power and air
troops on the island of Crete.
II the Axis claim of victory
at Matruh is borne out an at
tempt at vertical development
Of defense positions at the rear
of the battered British eighth
army may be expected at any
time.
CAPTURE 5000
The Italian High Command
declared that 5000 British
troops were captured at Matruh,
figure suggesting that the bulk
of the British eighth army had
been withdrawn
Twcnty-Cight tCouSand prison
crs we're claimed at Tobruk just
eight days ago, when RommclS
. German and Italian forces wiped
out the last British foothold in
Libya.
The Italians, who seem to
have been given the privilege OF
making the first and most COM
plctc Axis reports on the battle
of Egypt. declared that SO tanks
and numerous artillery pieces
and trucks were captured or dc
stroycd i'm the Matruh assault.
Axis planes, Rome said, hit
two steamers in the HarbOr there
and set fire TO 10 others and shot
down Il planes. German and
Italian planes also struck anew
at British positions on the mid
. Mediterranean Island of Malta.
. London authorities evidently
were not clear on details of the
Natruh battle. A military COM
mcutator said that If the defense
forces actually had withdrawn,
as suspected it was to hold a line
farther cast
This was done while limited
British tanks, artillery and arm
order cars engaged advancing
German troops he said, en-
phasizing the Matruh els not the
last bastion between Tobruk and
Alexandria
He actually discounted Axis
suggestions that the main dc
tense forces had been engaged
10y INC enemy.
TANKS ARE TARGETS
If the enemy has superior
tank strength. he said. il is likely
that the British have avoided en-
gaEing the entire invasion force
and are trying TO cut down Rom
mcIs armorcd superiority i'm
unit-by-mit actions against Axis
tank groups
Such r mduCuNCr might force
the defenders 10 withdraw deep
CT into Egypt until they reached
suitable positions and proper
balance TO engage the enemy on
a broad scale.
+ Rommcl, aware of the import
on this tactic, was doing his best
/ by airpower 20 break up posi-