I___1. POTTSTOWN, PA—EVERY ONE CAN HEfP—This is "every one’s” war, says Supreme Court Justice Owen Roberts, and he does his part by collecting and dismantling scrap at his farm near here." —A. P.. Wirephoto.

Month's Lull in War in Egypt Called Ominous for British

Any Break-Through by Rommel Pictured As Meaning Victory on the Nile

By HENRY J. TAYLOR Fenian Correspondent of The Star and

worth American Newcpaser Alliance.

NEW YORK, Aug. 15.—This is the analysis of the basic military situa- tion in Egypt given me by the high- est authorities in Cairo after my own battle-action observations in the Western desert;

When Field Marshal Erwin Rom- mel attacked, he expected heavy Nazi losses before Tobruk—at least 20,000 men. But the earlier losses were light and Tobruk fell in 12 hours, with no losses to the Nazis. Thirty thousand empire troops were captured that day, mostly South Africans, although units of the Coldstream Guards and other crack English regiments were present as well.

Allowing for his expected losses; Marshal Rommel expeeted to go tyeyend Tobruk; & the first phase of his campaign only to the extent of sending advance forces as far as the Libyan-Egyptian border. Then he intended to reorganize To- bruk as his supply base, instead of far-off Tripoli, bring his replace- ments there across the short haul from Greece, and in due course at- tack Alexandria and Cairo in the second phase of his program. Re has not changed this two-phase plan in any respect.

Position Ban For British. But, sustaining few losses and

With the British 8th Army in re- treat on the coast road for three full weeks, Marshal Rommel natu- rally let ■ things take their course and pressed on until he was resisted. This first resistance occurred at the present El Alamein position, 70 miles from Alexandria. His advance guard stands there now.

It is not a good position for the British. One or two breakthroughs by the enemy are a normal expec- tancy in desert warfare, and are dealt with as such, but in this locale any breakthrough whatever would directly threaten Britain's last bases and bring Marshal Rommel victory on the Nile.

Knowing this, the British would have stood at Mersa Matruh, about half way between Tobruk and El Alamein. but they were unable to do so. The line there would have to be a hundred miles long, com- pared to 40 miles at El Alamein, and after Tobruk the British simply did not have men and materials to fill that, lin*

Gen. Sir Claude Auchlnleck’s problem Is to push the Nazis back at least beyond Mersa Matruh and gain breathing space behind his lines to relieve the threat on Alex- andria and Cairo. To do this, he is obtaining replacements. But so is Marshal Rommel.

Notwithstanding the effective bombing, he is still getting fresh supplies and reserves through To- bruk by the shorter route via Greece,

Lull Is Not Good News. This lull at El Alamein of over a

month is not good news for the United Nations. Since making theli resistance at El Alamein these in- tervening weeks have been the time for Gem. Auchinleck's counter- attack, which, if successful, would complicate or destroy Marshal Rom- mel's thrust by making him start his second phase from an unfavor-

able and distant position. But Gen. Auchinleck's counterattack has not materialized—and time is running out. On the day Marshal Rommel starts his second phase— the direct attack on Alexandria and Cairo—the initiative is once more in his hands.

Constant news of excellent Brit- ish and American aerial activity distracts attention from' this basic situation. But the fact is that un- less Gen. Auchlnleck can start moving west in a big way before Marshal Rommel starts moving east, any other news is incidental.

As to why Tobruk fell as it did. the subject is not freely discussed by any authority in Egypt. The confusion was further heightened, of course, by Prime Minister Churchill’s early statement that he did not then know who gave the brtfer to surrender. But this much filters through as fact:

The British not only Intended to hold Tobruk, but actually had in- tended to start an offensive from Tobruk themselves at approximately the time the Germans attacked. Preparations for this had thrown them off .defensive balance. The Germans poured in after finding one side largely undefended. The situation men was Hopeless, As the majority of the Tobruk troops were South Africans, their ranking South African officer was commander of the Tobruk garrison. It was he who gave the order to surrender.

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Police Kill Fugitive In Rescuing Abducted Chattanooga Officer

Two Federal Escapees Wounded in Battle on

9

Barricaded Highway B> the Auoclttad Preu.

CHATTANOOGA, Aug. 15 —

Caught in a trap set by a city police-

man they had seized a few hours earlier, one Federal fugitive was

killed and two others wounded in a

brief pre-dawn gun battle south of

Chattanooga today. Kenneth Jackson. 31. a native of

Utah with a long criminal record in the Midsouth, was slain when he and his companions tried to flee from a posse summoned by Patrol- man Logan Stroud, who escaped from a cowshed where the men had tied him.

Wounded were George Matthews, 31, Marlon. Ky.. and Marvin Frank- lin Hubbard, 39, Boaz, Ala., Jack- son’s companions since their Joint escape from Federal custody at

Jasper. Ala., a week ago. Jackson was being held on post office rob-

bery charges, the other two on auto

theft counts. When Mr. Stroud approached the

men on a Chattanooga street last night to investigate a traffic vio- lation they forced him into their car and headed south into Georgia. A witness sounded the alarm and police cars set out in pursuit.

The trio evaded the police and holed up at a suburban dairy farm just south of the Georgia line, where they bound Mr. Stroud and tossed him into a cow stall.

For hours he worked at the ropes with a steel ruler sneaked from a

notebook In his back pocket while the men obtained food at gunpoint

^inside the farmhouse. When he Anally severed his bonds

Mr. Stroud slipped away to a neigh- boring house and telephoned the location of the hideaway. Heavily armed fellow officers sped to the scene and blocked the road above and below the house.

Run Into Barricade. The fugit ives .attempted to flee in

the farmer's commandeered car

but ran into the police barricade. Jackson was killed instantly when

he rose to Are from the car. His companions, answering the officers’

fire, leaped from the machine and into heavy crossfire. They sur- rendered, battered and bloody. Only one officer was hurt, suffering a flesh wound in one arm.

Matthews and Hubbard were

booked on charges of kldnaptng and felonious assault.

Cumberland Flyer Missing in Action B» tht A woe litre Pro**.

CUMBERLAND. Md.. Aug. 15.—

Corpl. Paul Harmon, airplane gun- ner, is missing following action Monday in the South Pacific, his mother, Mrs. Dorothy Harmon, was

Informed today by the War Depart- ment

Mrs. Hannon last heard from her son July Id when he cabled of hla arrival In Australia. Young Harmon, 31, enlisted In 1941.. He formerly was employed at the plant of the Celanese Corp. of America.

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