Explaining the British withdrawals Exypt before the advance of a half million Ballan troops, the spokesman Said an effort being made to Jeconomize. the British forces and Tengthen the Italian lines of com-
"Obs this strategy wilt me volve the temporary abandonment to: the enemy of stretches of useless desert and. unimportant places." the spokesman said, "but this will not the minds of those who intelligently study the situation, The RA. headquarters here issued a communique last night announcing that British" bombers on Monday night carried out a series of raids on Mahan motor transport concentrations east of Bugbug and also Dombed the Ballan aerodrome. at Asmara.
Many Hits Scored direct hits were observed, successful attack on a hangar.
'A formation of enemy bombers approached Malta yesterday but turned away, without dropping any bombs, upon the appearance of our fighter planes.
From all operations esterday our aircraft returned safely.
Mahan forces occupied Sidi Barrani Jon Monday evening in their advance slong the coast belt of Egypt with the support of strong rear forces, the General British Headquarters" announced today.
The official communique said that the Halians "suffered heavy casual-tics from bombing and harassing aetion by advanced clements of our tanks and artillery.
Htalian tanks and armoured cars, escorted by bombers and fighter planes, were bombed by the Hoyal 'Air Force and shelled by artillery they advanced a sandy' track amid clouds of swirling sand and dust, the communique stated.
The track along which the Italian forees made their way ends at Sidi Barrani. From there a macadamized road runs to Mersa Matruh Alexandria,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.