THE SOUTHWEST TIMES
PULASKI, VIRGINIA, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1942
BRITISH ROUT ROMMEL'S FORCES
40,000 Loss
Is Pr'dicted
Upon Desert
By ROGER D. GREENE
Associated Press War Editor
The worst axis defeat of the war was shaping on the
sands of North Africa today.
With the British in swift pursuit, nazi Field Marshal
Erwin Rommel's broken armies were reported fleeing
westward across the Egyptian desert amid wild confusion,
and early unofficial estimates placed axis losses at 40,-
000 troops killed, wounded or captured.
Front-line dispatches said 9.000 axis prisoners had
been taken, including Gen. Ritter von Thoma. commander
of the German North Africa corps, and 260 tanks knocked
out of action.
KING SENDS MESSAGE
To the victorious British 8th army. King George VI .
sent a message declaring that the importance of their
feat "cannot be exaggerated."
Italian field headquarters tersely acknowledged that
German and Italian troops had withdrawn to new lines
after violent dawn-to-dusk tank battles yesterday, and
added:
Guadalcanal
Land Forces
Stage Gains
WASHINGTON. (/P) — Persistent battering of the Japanese
by land arid air gave American and allied fighters
fresh ground gains today in besieged Guadalcanal and New
Guinea.
Further widening an attempted Japanese vise that
threatened to close on the* ~—~
American-held airfield in Guad-,
alcanal, United States marines
and .soldiers forced back the
enemy's western flank, capturing
about 20 machine guns and
small field artillery pieces in
;he process.
In New Guinea, westward of
the Solomon islands, allied troops
under Gen. Douglas MacArthur's
Australian command overcame
'strong enemy resistance" and
plunged on through the jungles
toward the Japanese coastal base
at Buna.
Continue Advance
THE WAR
TODAY
By DEWITT MACKENZIE
LONDON. (AP) — The allied triumph
in Egypt gives strong hope
that we are witnessing the beginning
of the not far distant
end to Hitler's hold on North
Africa.
* * *
The nazi all-highest also is
having visions of disaster for
Berlin claims a "remarkable
concentration" of British warships
and transports at Gibraltar.
* * *
The Vichy government is reported
to be holding conferences
about North Africa and from
rear Admiral Luetzow of the
German naval staff we get this:
'Casablanca, on French Morocco's
west coast, is a danger spot
far overshadowing Dakar. Africa
swarms with United States
agents whose gaze turns to
Casablanca."
Is Hitler conjuring up bug bears
to torture his sleep? He
will know in due course and
so shall we. Meantime, it is a
most comfortable feeling to see
him worry.
* * *
We must temper our natural
optimism with caution because
there is hard and bitter work, to
be done before the axis armies
are annihilated. That is the task
before us—the destruction of
Hitler's fighting machine in all
North Africa.
* * *
Once before we had our
dreams when Wavell drove defeated
enemy columns far to
the westward across the desert.
* *
But the axis still was strong
then and the allies weak. Indeed,
just at the crucial moment.
Wavell had to rush troops off to
the defense .of Greece, thereby
depriving him of a chance to follow
up his victory.
Now however, the Hitlerites
are weaker and the allies much
stronger. The nazi chief and his
minions are on the down grade.
* * *
Certainly the forces under
Gen. Sir Harold Alexander must
be jubilant as they pursue and
hammer what a British communique
described as the ''disordered
columns" of the enemy. When you
talk about "disordered columns" in.
retreat you are talking about a
"rout," which is one of the greatest
disasters that can befall an
army.
No wonder the- Fuehrer's boasted
intuition If making him see pink
elephants. As a matter of fact, It
looks as though his Intuition might
be on the right track this time.
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