The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-06-19

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 "Gen. Ritchie's army is at present holding strong fortified positions or the Libyan frontier and in the To bruk area" the communique said.
 British mobile forces operating from the south are confning enemy columns to the coastal belt.
 The communique said that Brit ish column, driving up from the south, yesterday shelled the airdrone of Fl Adenn, south of Tobruk, in the area from which the British main force had been compelled to retire before the striking power of the Ger man Afrika korps.
 Made Gallant Stand
 British troops in the Tobruk area where empire troops in one of the most gallant stands of the war held their ground against enemy attacks for months, destroyed three enemy tanks and damaged four others in fighting yesterday, 1t was added.
 But the one big point in the com-
 But the one big point in the conn munique was that the British empire army, in @ forced withdrawal of nearly 100 miles, was back in the re- zion of the Egyptian frontier where so many men had died in the savage fighting of previous desert cam paigns.
 It was known here that there was a serious threat to Tobruk, as the result of enemy penetration in an arc around it. Reports said the fort ress had already come under the fire of Axis guns.
 Gen. Ritchie's retirement from the Fl Adem-Sidi Rezegh desert area in. land from Tobruk had told military experts that the continued retreat to the frontier. along the Sollum. Capuzzo line, would be necessary.
 It was recognized that the old de. lenses there were the westernmost line he could hope to hold before the powerful Axis tank columns which had pressed on relentlessly after talk ing Free French -held Bir Hachiem.
 Presumably Ritchie hoped by re- tiring to the frontier to keep his forces intact, leaving strong gar. rison at Tobruk, in the belief that the heavy Axis losses in tanks and transport would permit him to stop the enemy drive definitively in his new positions.
 There was strong hope also that the British air force, which claims superiority In the air, would be able to give even strong support to the ground forces on the frontier line.
 By EDWARD w. BEATTIE United Press Stan COrrespOndent)
 London, June 19-(UP)-Britain's army in North Africa may be com pelled to abandon Tobruk, Its fort. ress on the Libya coast 30 miles from the frontier, a British military commentator said today.
 The cost of British reverses ii1 Libya might, 1t was believed in well informed quarters, be loss of con- trol of the Mediterranean unless American dive bombers could turn the tide.
 British main forces had been pushed back to the Egyptian from tier, and the military commentator, indicating that the British were de- termined to fight for Tobruk, sug- gested also that the difficulties of supplying from the sea now might prove greater than 1t was advisable to meet.
 'Tobruk is not essential to holding the frontier line, but 1t would be ex- tremely annoying to the enemy to have it on their flank" he said. However, can not say what losses we are prepared to take to hold 1t.
 "Also Tobruk is not essential to an Axis drive into Egypt. But would be of great advantage to them from the supply viewpoint. British loss of Tobruk would be a very serious matter"
 The commentator said also that the British hoped to hold the val- uable Halfaya pass, in the frontier area, which IS now regarded part of the front line.
 Some Hope Left
 An air commentator. slightly more hopeful than the military informant, said the Royal Air force had enough airdromes east of the frontier to maintain superiority over the border and presumably over Tobruk.
 He asserted that enemy activity in forward areas had decreased con- siderably yesterday as the result of attacks by American-made Douglas DE fast light attacks bombers on Fl Gazala airdrome on the cost west of Tobruk.
 Fighter planes. he said, had cov- cred the withdrawal of British forces to the frontier area yester- day.
 General Erwin Rommel, the Ger man commander, now held the ini- tiative and 1t was up to him to de- eide whether to take advantage of his momentum and smash into Egypt, to reduce Tobruk, or to halt for the present, rest his men and machines and regroup his forces for the next phase.
 Tn the past campaigns advances by either side had been halted by