On the One-Yard Line

Field Marshal Rommel had called for time out on the one-yard line. After marching nearly the length of the field in an unbroken series of power plays, he needed to pull his team together for the last effort. His players needed to sponge their faces and have their ankles taped. He also hoped his coach could send in some fresh backs to carry the ball. So he drew his team back into a huddle.

That was the situation in the battle of Egypt when last week began. That was the situation when it ended. But football in the desert pays no attention to rules. Blocking and tackling went on even during time out.

General Auchinleck, in command of the battered British Army which had been pushed back within fighter-plane range of Alexandria, began to harass the Germans to keep them from resting. His New Zealanders dove into the southern flank of the German line, pushing it back. Rommel patiently shifted one of his crack Nazi mechanized divisions from the short to the long side of his line, to prevent being hemmed in too close to the sea. Then, at dawn one morning, Auchinleck's linesmen cracked the short side, drove through a division of Italians, advanced five miles in 90 minutes and took 2,000 prisoners.

These actions did credit to The Auk's aggressive spirit, but they did not alter the basic situation: Rommel was defending his front with infantry and artillery; the bulk of his armored forces were withdrawn from action for rest and repair.

Soon play will be resumed. Which side then is stronger will depend on more important things.

Substitutes In. Rommel's time out had permitted The Auk to rush up fresh reserves of men and materiel from Suez, Palestine, Syria and the rest of the Middle East. But the amount he could bring up was limited by what was available in those quarters. Any major reinforcements, ordered by General Auchinleck since the situation in Egypt became acute, will have to come from Britain or the U.S. and cannot be expected for two or three months.

Rommel, by contrast, can draw reinforcements from home in a fortnight. British submarines reported attacking Axis supply ships at sea. British bombers reported attacking more such ships--not only at Bengasi, as before, but in Tobruk harbor and even at Matruh, only 100 miles behind Rommel's lines. In two successive days British fighters reported attacking Junkers air transports, presumably bringing specialists up to Rommel's front lines. The British claimed to have destroyed or damaged 15. How many more made how many trips only Rommel knows.

Rommel was bringing up men and supplies fast. Unless the British were bringing them up in equal quantity, with equal speed--both of which seemed unlikely--the battle would reopen with Rommel again superior in force.

Forward Pass. To balance these odds in Rommel's favor there appeared to be only one important factor working on General Auchinleck's side. The British were using their air force with new effectiveness, not merely to neutralize the Nazi air force but for direct attacks on Rommel's troops and supplies.

In one 24-hour period 166 Spitfires and Hurricanes made repeated raids over Rommel's position; 75 P-40s (Kittyhawks) attacked trucks at El Daba; 130 bombers accompanied by 127 fighters raided Rommel's routes and positions; at night 84 Wellingtons, six Blenheims and eight B-24s (Liberators) bombed Rommel's trucks at El Daba and shipping at Bengasi. This week the Royal Navy suddenly returned to action in the Mediterranean, shelled Rommel's base at Matruh.

Since retreat has shortened British supply lines and lengthened the supply lines of Rommel, these attacks might cause Rommel real trouble in restoring his army's fighting capacity. The world will know when the whistle blows again.

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