The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutThe Seaforth News, 1942-10-15, Page 6PAGE, SIX THE $WORTH NWS Rommel's Force Useless Unless Fie Takes Egypt By Briggdie' General H. S. Sewell, At the time of writing, just one week has •elapsed since the deadlock On the El Alamein front was broken by the Axis Attack on. the Eighth Army positions between the sea and the Qattara Depression, This move had been expected for some time. German and Italian reinforcements had arrived by sea and air from Italy, Greece and Crete, and it is probable that Marshal Rommel had in the forward zone as many divi- sions as he could conveniently main- tain in the waterless desert. Axis supporting troops are located in Cyrenaica and in the occupied portion of Egypt, but all the best fighting formations are in front, and most of these seen to have been in action during the last week. Rommel's Force Highly Mobile The battle opened along the whole line, The north and center of the Bri- tish positions were attacked frontal- ly by German and Italian infantry. The southern end of the line was chosen as the point for delivering the armored thrust, and on this flank a strong force of tanks and mobile formations was assembled, This com- prised the German Afrika Korps, in- cluding the Fifteenth and Twenty- first Panzer Divisions, and the Nine- tieth Light Infantry Division with Italian armored and mobile elements. in fire power: mobility, protection and morale, the four fundamentals of war, this force must have seemed' sufficient for its task. Its tanks and artillery had proved their efficiency in earlier battles. ,They were highly mobile. Airplanes were allotted for their nil' protection, and the morale, particularly of young Nazis, was good. They succeeded in opening a way through the British minefields in the rough and broken terrain which bor- ders the Qattara Depression at its easterly end, then turned north to threaten the main British positions, which at that time were engaged by German infantry ou their front. It seems probable that the object of this maneuver was to force the defence to concentrate all available tanks against the attack. The Afrika Korps was ready to meet a. counter- attack in 'the greatest possible strength. General Montgomery, commanding the Eighth Army, did not react as expected by Marshal Rommel. There was no great concentration of Brit- ish tanks. If there bad been, the whole strength of the Afrika Korps would have been turned against it. The Axis tanks and guns were given no target, but they themselves pro- vided a target for the Allied air forces, which, by that time, had ob- tained mastery of the air. They were also subjected to con- centrated bombardment by the Brit- ish field guns and howitzers, and at some points they were attacked by mobile tank forces which included II. S. Army tank units. Many enemy tanks and vehicles were destroyed by the artillery and tank fire. Allied losses were not heavy. In desert warfare air supremacy is notnecessariiy of decisive advant- age. dvantage. The dust, which covers the fast moving vehicles, makes them a diffi- cult target. A continuous attack from the air would have its greatest effect in giving no rest to the enemy and in seeking out their hidden con- centrations. The culminating effect of air attack mus thave resulted in low- ering the morale and efficiency of the Axis forces. The main British armored strength is not reported to have been in action and 'we have no proof that Rommel THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1942 WATT 7 V l \ 90 WATT 40 WATT El ❑ ❑ WATT THIS ROOM HAS 10 UGHTS,USES 420 WATTS WATT 40 WATT 80 WATT --44) (e\ 80WATT AS ATT 23 WATT WATT 40 WATT- e<_____,60 ATT_ e WATT 6oWATT 49>! r r, 6o WATT 40i 40 WATT Ci u� WATT ao 40 THIS ROOM HAS 15 UGHTS,USES 700 WATTS w; Orr , }do WATT (O(NATT WATT Everything these days emphasizes the word "sharing." With power shortage difficulties in sections of Ontario and Quebec bringing it to the fore, Canadians in these sections of the country can and must cut down on their power consuption. Actually they should reduce con- sumption by 20 per cent. In the picture above are two architectural drawings of the same room. The drawing on the right shows a modern living room which uses tip 700 watts when its 15 lamps and lights are burning. The drawing on the left shows the same room using 10 lights with the wattage reduced by 280 watts. Any decorative lamps have either been removed or had their bulbs replaced with low watt- age bulbs.' Two easy chairs share the -same lamp. A lamp on the desk shares its illumination with the easy chair beside it, and so on. Power conservation does not mean eyestrain, it means using common sense. This young couple are sharing the one lamp which gives adequate illumination for reading knowing that they are helping to save electricity which will keep the war plants running. able to support the Caucasian front in the North, and bolster Turkey's morale.. BRITAIN'S GRAMOPHONE Secret The ain's even War Invention Which Trains Certain Fighting Men synchrophone is one of Brit - war secrets. It is so secret that the makers of the gramophone records whish are part of the inven- tion do not see the pictures which complete it; nor are the picture mak- ers allowed to hear the records. The synchrophone is used for training certain Service men. It is the joint work of an engineer, a re- cording expert and a man skilled in photographic lay -out. It Is better than a film because it cna be shown in used the whole of his tank forces, daylight; and this is not the time to though all of it advanced, and some say more about it. tanks were destroyed. It is probable that the opportunity he sought never came, and he decided to cut his losses and get out of the advanced area before be lost any more heavily If Marshal Rommel intends to at- tack again he has nothing to gain by waiting. Except in air strength, he cannot expect to increase his strink- ing power, for it is doubtful if Hitler can spare any German troops from occupied Europe or the Russian front at present, Even if the Axis army in Africa were reinforced, it is doubtful if any larger number of men can be put into the fight. Water and supply problems are the factors which limit the strength of the fight- ing troops in the western desert. If Rommel's troops cannot take Egypt, his force is useless, The Hutt- ed Nations' armies, on the other hand, are well placed strategically in Egypt and Palestine for the general defence of the Middle East. As an operational base this area it second only in importance to the British isles. Here the troops are more than hall way to India to operate towards the East, if required, They are avail - In other directions Britain's gram- ophone ramophone record industry has been fully harnessed to the war effort. Al- ready, many training establishments in the R.A.F. are making use of rec- ords either for the technical ground staff or for flying crews. The sounds of aeroplane engines, for example, are reproduced by gramophone for future pilots learning "blind" flying; and the sound of machine guns, of different calibres of shell and of var- ious signals are also taught daily by gramophone. Britain's recording engineers have- added much to their knowledge in solving the techncal problems with which they have been faced. The need to record with complete fidelity sounds never 'before heard on a disc has so broadened the spectrum of sound that tones are now being re- corded three or four octaves above the highest note on a piano to a full octave below the lowest. Recorded sound has, in short, been pushed, to the limit of the range of audibility, cording of music when peace returns: which will mean a more perfect re- Wan,t rind For Sale Acis, 1 week 21&c uq Counter Check Book. era We Are Selling Quality Books • Books are Well Made, Carbon is Clean and Copies Readily. All styles, Carbon Leaf and Black Back. Prices as Low as You Can Get Anywhere. Get our Quotation on Your Next Order. • ,P The Seaforth News SEAFORTH, ONTARIO,