Show Behind the War News Maior Eliot Says 1 By MAJOR l GEORGE FIELDING ELIOT 1 The military situation In Egypt is becoming more interesting interesting interesting inter inter- esting with each day that tha Field Marshal Rommel's forces remain at a t standstill When he he passed Mersa Mat Mat- rub ruh It was obvious that he was putting a tremendous strain on his men and equipment in an effort to reach Alexandria while he still retained the forward momentum of his swift advance from His losses in tanks and motor vehicles h he was able partly to replace from his captures But these advantages have now been largely dissipated ed He is again sustaining losses and it is questionable to what extent he is able to replace replace replace re re- re- re place them More than that he has lost his forward momentum and It will be very difficult to get his worn-out worn men in motion again until he can bring up fresh reinforcements Experience shows that when men are called upon for tremendous tremendous tremendous dous endeavors extending over a considerable period of time itis It ItIs ItIs Is much easier easier to keep them going go go- ing log beyond the normal limits of endurance than it is to start them again after they have once been stopped The latter in invariably invariably invariably in- in variably requires a considerable influx of fresh men unless a satIsfactory satisfactory sat sat- rest period intervenes So far as can be determined the British have given Rommel's Rommel's Rommel's Rom Rom- mels mel's men no opportunity for forrest forrest forrest rest and the slow bending back backof of the German right fl flank toward toward to to- ward the coast carries with a strong suggestion that Rommel is being surrounded There is indeed a possibility which grows stronger with each day that he remains where he now is that the elements composing com corn posing his original forces have become immobilized due to lack lackoff lackoff lackoff off fuel and water The water problem must be especially se severe se- se vere yere Reports from Cairo Indicate that the royal air force reinforced reInforced reinforced rein reIn- forced by some som some American planes is striking heavily at Rommel's communications and also Is giving giving giving ing direct line front support to the British troops In taking over command General leck leek appears to have been able to achieve better coordination between his ground and air forces than was the case with General Ritchie In other words the British have gotten better leadership at the eleventh hour and are profiting thereby In my last comment on this theater of war I ventured the opinion that Alexandria and the Suez canal might be lost unless the British were able to restore and maintain air and unless Rommel's Rommel men either became became became be be- came completely worn out orthe or orthe orthe the British were able to hit them very hard with a well wen directed counterattack The fortunes o of ot p war have been kind to toed th ft 1 ed nations for all three H seem to have happ ned th there is now a distinct a increasing hourly t Rommel's advance element elemen be entirely surrounded off and 04 However the great of the German con should be a warnis warning to t. t too much for granted lIe T I gotten out of situation b a which were ora seemIngly as ba bad this one air a int inter ence his erthe er- er the coastal road are still stin al hong oong and he Pe may even be bring up enough forces abl ab to to t to H n sume his forward movement j has already shown that knows better than to Use A ll i r in driblets HIS i pose is undoubtedly to j. j a strong fresh striking r rHe lo He will hope that this force be strong enough to ca carry lO forward to hb Alexandria i It cannot make it strong no for that he may try to us to cover his withdrawal t ta I Imore more defensible position B ably Sollum and p the on Libyan Egyptian tier Much therefore de depend endl oj the ability of the fiS n keep on attacking so t hat in 7 toi order to avoid immediate d aster Rommel will have to l 1 e his reinforcements piecemeal aa they arrive and will not b be e iW abel to collect them into a mass Ina Much also oaf on the continued ability of oj ft the R H. A F to check the flow of ot reo into the parts parta o 0 and and along the coastal road to position Account should be taken ol oi certain surprise Either side may attempt a t W turning movement thus ti British forces at an and Cia Gli may if they are trong enough strike nor northward against Rommel's or for all we know I a u axis flanking column may b fo be swinging around through these thee oases to come up into the Na valley south of the d de I de-I Also there Is b tili stil the lit German borne air-borne f force fa in Crete whose intervention Jn j Egypt has been expected but tut which has not yet put in an ap ap- a. a On the whole with the tine Ge German Ger man force within 80 sues miles of Alexandria the situation cannot canio be described as favorable for lor the tine united nations but It be becomes becomes le- le comes more so with each day that passes without a further German advance If It Rommen now suffers a serious dual tr or has to go back to the Libyan frontier one section at least lent of the axis time-table time will ill li hue hive been seriously dislocated It should never be forgotten that that this campaign in Africa has hai i a direct connection with the cam can campaign in Russia and is all pu parO puy I of the same strategic plan pan J |