The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-07-09

and the Malta fighter defense.
 Dispatches from the front re- ported that Imperial troops had pocketed 6 big force of German tanks, guns and transport trucks on the Alamein Inc and were clos ang in on them despite desperate enemy attempts to escape.
 In c combined army and aiI force operation, the Imperials of Gen. Sir Claude Auchinlecks eighth army succeeded in surrounding the enemy south and southwest of the { point at which the German line bends westward in the desert dust bowl, 1t was reported.
 Nazi Force POcketed 2 At present the German force is ]. oocketed in an area of several ;, square miles, 1t was said. ? The Germans were reported mak- ]. tug frantic attempts to break out | as the mobile British striking col 7, umns drove in on them steadily. x The report of the pocket'ng o1 { he German force came direct from 2 he front in a dispatch by Henry Y '. Gorrel, United Press correspond ' mt with the Royal Air Force. 2 Gorrell said that the Imperials \, already strongly reinforced, wert ,, gaining strength hourly as "encour- . aging numbers" of fresh tankt ' reached the front. He quoted ar :. officer at eighth army headquarters ss as saying:
 :. :. 'It is possible the Germans may ;. try 6 mass attack in an attemp 2, to crack bur defenses, If they dt 2 It will be suicide. We are ready ]. for them"
 !. At the northern section of th' z front, toward Fl Alamein on th' { coast 50 miles west of Alexandria F there was a comparative lull yes
 terday, but it was a Hull in whicl { British mobile columns were hit ' ting the Axis forces at many points Y The front still was fluid and botl sides were maneuvering for posi- ( tional advantage.
 Day and night the British light
 ming columns consisting of tanks guns and motorized infantry wer
 mov!g out into German-held terri
 tory in local scale attacks.
 It was indicated that German
 Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, tn
 Axis commander in -chief, had elect
 ed to stand on the present line
 hoping for endorsements Whicl
 would permit him to resume a driv
 or Alexandria and the Nile, rathe \ than withdraw.
 K It was emphasized increasingly
 that Allied air superiority wa
 growing.
 k The combined Royal Air Fore and South African air force, backet Z by 8 force of United States arm, air corps bombers, was consider ably stronger than when the cam
 paign started six weeks ago.
 BY HENRY T. GORRELL
 (Unnted Press Staff Correspondent
 With the RAF in the Egyptian . Desert, July 8-(5 D. m) )-Delayed) ~-(UP)-Reinforced allied bomber ..and fighter squadrons, attacking Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's des- ~ert Strongholds hourly, are knocking .the Axis invaders bomb groggy' z and steadily intensifying their aer- vial assault on the German spear
 head southwest of Fl Alamein.
 VI Rommel's Luftwaffe is being
 routsd systematically by the great Fest number of allied aircraft evel Concentrated over the western front
 His ground defenses, weakened by
 steady downpour of high explosives fare answering with diminishing
 barrage of anti-aircraft fire.
 The British radio, recorded by
 CBS in New York, said today 284
 axis planes had been destroyed over
 North Africa during the past six weeks. This figure, it said, compared with the loss of just over 100" al .hed planes)
 : Rugged Australian pilots, flying ~American-built planes, told me to- ~day the Germans soon would bt