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FINESSE IN
LIBYA
Main Battle
Avoided
"The Age" Special Correspondent
and A.A.P.
LONDON, February 2.
Comment received from Cairo sug-
gests that the campaign in Cyrenaica
is now in a strategical phase, with
both sides endeavoring to seize the
direction of the main operations.
Correspondents are of opinion that
Lieutenant-General Ritchie may at-
tempt to halt General Rommel's drive
between Maraua, 30 miles east of
Barce, and Derna, but the import-
ance which they attach to the ques-
tion whether sufficient reinforcements
can be rushed up before the mechan-
ised German spearhead continues the
advance suggests that the major
battle may be to the east of Derna.
The Germans are apparently press-
ing on rapidly along the coastal and
Maraua roads. They are holding Msus
with a strong force, but no movement
towards Mekili along the desert track
has been reported. It remains to be
seen whether the Msus force is de-
signed to protect German communi-
cations or to become the spearhead
of a southern thrust to complete the
pincers against eastern Cyrenaica.
Correspondents are of opinion that
it is doubtful whether General Rom-
mel, despite his reinforcements, will
be able to undertake two drives simul-
taneously because of his heavy losses
during the last two months.
The public is uneasy about the
swiftly changing fortunes in the
desert warfare, and the Cairo com-
muniques do little to reassure them.
For instance, no answer is forthcom-
ing to the pertinent question which
Mr. S. de Chair asked during last
week's House of Commons debate,
which Mr. Churchill ignored when
replying to criticisms. Mr. de Chair
recalled Mr. Churchill's statement,
"We built up an army of 750,000 in
the Middle East and we concentrated
the strongest force prior to the open-
ing of the present battle with at least
equality in tanks and planes." Mr.
de Chair pointed out that Mr.
Churchill admitted that we were
never able to concentrate more than
45,000 men against General Rom-
mel's ten divisions, and he asked, Was
this equality ? He added that Mr.
Churchill had announced that we had
suffered 18,000 casualties. He con-
tended that this was an extraordi-
narily, high proportion for mechanised
warfare, in which his experience- was
that manpower losses were frequently
light compared with the losses of
tanks and mechanised units.
Role of Indians
A Cairo G.H,Q. communique says:
"Our Fourth Indian Division is con-
ducting its withdrawal in Jebel
Akhdar, east of Barce, in close con-
tact with the enemy, who is follow-
ing up this movement in considerable
strength.
"The Eleventh Indian Infantry
Brigade at Maraua on Sunday car-
ried out a successful counter-attack
and inflicted many casualties. The
same brigade yesterday again counter-
attacked and checked the enemy in
the Slonta area.
"Our mobile columns in the area
north-cast of Msus continue offensive
activities. They engaged a column
yesterday, and captured four vehicles
and some prisoners. Our Air Forces
continued, effectively to support land
operations, while bombers- at night
attacked mechanical transport columns
in the area of Agheila and Jedabya,
starting a number of fires.
"The seventh Indian Infantry Bri-
gade, which was covering Benghazi
before our evacuation of the town and
port, has now returned to its bases in
East Cyrenaica almost intact as re-
gards fighting personnel. During the
night of January 28, when the de-
cision to evacuate Benghazi was
taken after the encirclement of the
area by strong Axis forces, this bri-
gade decided to break out to the
south.
A Berlin communique reports that
tank units occupied Barce and El
Abair. German bombers set fire to
stores near Mersa Matruh.
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