THE LATEST

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 63, Issue 169, 29 April 1943, Page 4

THE LATEST

OUTSKIRTS ENTERED.

ALLIES AT PONT DU FAHS.

MAORIS CAPTURE OF A HILL. BRITISH GENERAL’S PRAISE. (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright.) (Rec. 12.15 p.m.) LONDON, April 28. British and French troops have entered the outskirts, of Pont du Falls, where murderous fighting is going on. The Columbia (American) Broadcasting- System’s correspondent at Algiers reports that the French have finished clearing the mountains overlooking the town and their patrols are now in the outer parts of the town itself. The British United Press correspondent states that French troops have cut and crossed the road from Pont du Falls to Enfidaville, south-east of Zaghouan mountain, about 15 miles southeast of Pont du Falls, thus threatening the rear of the German army that is facing General Sir Bernard Montgomery s troops in this sector. The British United Press report states that the Germans have used flame-thrower tanks against British infantry on the Mecljez el Bah front. The correspondent says that the tanks throw a jet about 30 yards. The British infantry overcame this new weapon after they had stormed Sidi Assalem, which is a hummock on the Medjez el Bab front. The Germans also threw into this fighting their crack infantry with heavy mortar and, machine-gun support.

- Reviewing the. positions on the various fronts the British United Press says that British infantry of the Ist Army made new advances against repeated German counter-attacks in a deepening salient east of the Medjerda River, 12 miles north-east of Medjez el Bab and 21 miles west of Tunis. The latest reports place them, after heavy fighting, 400. yards from the summit of Jebel el Aoukay, which is east of Medjez el Bab, A famous British regiment .further, south at a point 12 iniles, due east of Medjez el Bab, charged up the hills east of Sidi Abdulla and captured the summit, but the Germans drove them back. No important change is reported from Pont du Palis, around which the Allied line now forms an arc. The Bth Army on the southern sector advanced a few milep near where it joins forces with the French. The Americans in North Tunisia are- advancing towards Jefna after clearing two strategic hills protecting the township.

A spokesman at Allied-headquarters to-day said that the prospects along the whole front were excellent. The Algiers radio reported that :he Ist Army is barely seven miles from Tebourha.

Warning of Axis Strength

The general commanding part of the Bth Army gave a warning that the 1 Axis forces holding out in the Tunisian bridgehead will fight to the last' man and the last bullet. There will not be any quick crushing defeat of the Axis forces, he told a British United Press correspondent. “The Bth Army never fought in hills like these, he said. “Formerly we had to punch only one good gap in the enemy line and then pour through and the line ’was disintegrated. Here, every mountain has involved a major attack.” Emphasising the strength of the German artillery dug into the mountains behind the main line, with whole areas bristling with machine-guns, the general paid a high tribute to the New Zealanders for their magnificent work. “After they tfrok Takrouna—and I don’t know how those Maoris did it — we found 50 heavy machine-guns and four 20-pounders in the hills,” said the general. “The New Zealanders started from trenches at the foot of the mountains with the Italians dug in about halfway and the Germans holding the top.* /A Maori sergeant and four privates started up the hill at daylight, but were stopped by Italian fire. Then the Maoris! called for four Bren guns and stalked up the mountain, firing the Bren-guns almost vertically. The nine reached the top that day, with Italians and Germans all around them and stayed there all day. I don’t know how ■they did it, but that night 50 more reached the top and they cleared the hill.”

The “Daily Mail” correspondent north of Medjez el Bab says that as the Germans fall back they leave suicide squads, machine-gunners who generally have been ordered to hold on until a certain hour, aftljjr which they are free to surrender. Many of them are among prisoners taken at Longstop Hill. Almost all fought in Russia.

Reuter’s correspondent at Algiers reports that United States planes in the week ended last Tuesday flew over 5000 sorties, dropped almost 2,000,0001bs of bombs, and destroyed 240 planes in combat. The Rome radio to-day said: “It would be folly to forecast the future of the battle in Tunisia but the enemy pressure must certainly be considered

grave.”