Show BATTLE FOR THE LAND OF THE PHARAOHS 4 v a r- r f- f fsr sr r. r t Mediterranean Sea L t a ft ff f 0 SID f ROSEITA j V PORT SAD p LIBYA r i D FUKA ALEX T ANTA rf n m wc x N s lit LM for Rommel H He e h 11 r n broke through the defense m t y line cut back around wound the secondary 1 could land small i u p 1 force here to cut POS SIBLE AXIS DRIVES DRIVES yO EL GIZA fv Army L AXIS t I stand i SS r on y CAIRO S in Syria nd Ira Q shortened defense tines fines may sore save r PASSED ir-PASSED IY PASSED BRITISH e Alexandria from direct assault CAPTURED J LATER POSSIBLE AIR SS 4 e FERRY f ATTACKS FROM f yx q to slice t e BENh Egypt in two might block Nile air BA I t upper intercept ROUTE r RAILROADS ROADS Ferry envy supplies from Ameri EL ll I iia of De Depres Depression res MilES MilES' don sion force henry heavy mechanized units to A I FROM US TOR detour y Wile Wi w W N EL BAWIT British Have Two Alternatives In In Critical Egypt Situation By Wide World Service The battle of E Egypt pt so far has been a one-man one show The initiative has been Field Marshal Erwin The strategy and even more important the tactics once the desert tank fleets make contact have ave been The victories have been his and each assault has left his columns stronger the British tank units weaker As a a. result the axis drove the British Eighth army out of ot Libya and I across Egypt in the deepest invasion invasion inva inva- inva-I inva sion of ot that country since the war began General Sir Claude J. J E. E Auchinleck Auchinleck leck leek commander chief of ot the united nations middle east forces superseded Lieutenant General Neil M. M I. I Ritchie who led the disastrous disastrous dis Libyan campaign Auchinleck Auchinleck leck took personal charge of ot the Egyptian battle but the one-man one show continues to hinge on w what at Rommel can and will do Two Alternatives The critical situation of ot the united united united unit unit- ed nations offers two alternative defensive moves One One the defenders into the 4 mile 40 mile wide bottleneck k east of El Daba on the Mediterranean nean coast and the depression depres depres- depression sion smoldering the axis offensive in a defense in depth Two Two Two-To To fall tall back to Alexandria Alexandria Alexan Alexan- dria for a die door stand before the principal allied naval base of ot the eastern Mediterranean The second possibility is a desperate desperate des des- gamble If It Alexandria should fall the British eastern Mediterranean fleet would be cornered cornered cornered cor cor- without a major base Suez would be e a pushover for ing from newly captured airfields airfield within easy range Axis aircraft could pick off the fleet ship by ship if it it should try to run th the e gantlet west t to o Gibraltar Backstopped by Backstopping Rommel's desert deser t tanks are thousands of ot nazi parachute parachute parachute para para- chute troops glider and bombin bombing g and fighter tighter planes in reserve o on n Crete and Rhodes These parachutists are a dangerous dangerous dan dan- gero flanking threat to the E El 1 Daba defense position They might prove valuable in a direct assault on Alexandria and Suez The They Y might land further east near E EArish El EI 1 Arish to cut of off reinforcements reinforcement s from Syria Iran and Iraq But eV every ry mile Rommel advances advances advances ad ad- vances lengthens his supply lines line s and conversely shortens allied allie I communications This pl plus British claimed British claimed al all air r superiority may overbalance th the e weight of ot offensive strength |