SWIFT DRIVE IT N.Z. TROOPS TO EL HAMMA

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 80, 5 April 1943, Page 4

SWIFT DRIVE IT N.Z. TROOPS TO EL HAMMA

HOW GAP WAS FORCED

Maoris Storm Strong Enemy Posts N.Z.E.F. Official War Correspondent ALGIERS. March 21 Moving swiftly following its wid enflanking movement, the New Zea land Division with supporting Britisl armour and artillery drove its foo well into the side of.the gateway t< the Southern Tunisian Plain yester day and last night. This force, nov further reinforced by British armou: -and guns, struck again, and by dawi this morning had almost cleared th< gap of the enemy. After New Zealand infantry, fol lowing behind a heavy creeping barrage and an advancing screer of heavy and medium tanks, hac broken through the enemy positions beyond the Roman wall, which spans the gap, more British armour passec through, and this morning were re ported to be almost at El Hamma. and directly menacing the narrowing Gabes gap between Rommel's forces defending the Mareth Line and the enemy forces facing the First Army and the Americans further north. When a force of the enflanking column entered the Ekaga Gap on March 21 it found the enemy's first defence lines manned entirely by Italians. There followed on the night of March 21 an attack which reduced the strong enemy positions defending a rising feature known as Hill 201 almost in the middle of the gap. Prisoners and Booty In this attack one New Zealand infantry brigade, which was largely responsible for this preliminary advance, took over 2000 Italian prisoners, and a . large quantity of booty. Following this reverse the enemy command decided to replace the Italians with . Germans, and during the next few days German infantry moved in to hold the line spanning the north-east of the old Roman wall. It was against this line that the second attack by New Zealand and British forces was launched yesterday afternoon. The attack followed the successful tactics adopted at El Alamein, with two important exceptions. It commenced at daylight, under the shelter of a dust haze, and the tanks followed a creeping barrage with the infantry behind, instead of the infantry preceding the tanks. Two New Zealand infantry brigades were employed, backed by a formidable concentration of British and New Zealand artillery, and considerable weight of armour. The whole attack was preceded by a concentrated air blitz, which pounded ths enemy positions before the barrage came down, and commenced to move forward ahead of the tanks. As the advance went forward into the whirling dust clouds created by the barrage and air bombing, it was met by stubborn resistance, but, in general, when they found tanks among them, the defending German infantry lost some of their grip. Our infantry followed, clearing gun positions and weapon pits, and mopping up. Fighting continued throughout the night until by 4 o'clock in the morning it was reasonably certain that the advance of over 4500 hundred yards was consolidated. Minefields were encountered on the left, but lanes were made through them, and, as the advance proceeded, the British armour, which had been waiting in reserve, went through to engage German tanks, which were known to be backing up the enemy infantry at the exit to the gap, and beyond it.. This force continued its advance this morning almost ta El Hamma. The German armour, inside the gap . was roughly dealt with. On the left flank of the advance two battalions of a New Zealand infantry brigade, with New Zealand Divisional Cavalry moving in support on the outer flank, advanced between the main road to Gabes, which runs through a gap and the foothills of Djeb el Tebaga. Objective Taken Quickly The battalion advancing nearest the road was on its first objective . very quickly, with few casualties, but struck stronger opposition as it continued. However, by 4 o'clock it had advanced almost 4500 yards " to the second objective, taking 400 ' prisoners and inflicting casualties. On its left, its sister battalion, operating over more broken country, maintained contact and protected its flank. Shortly before 6 o'clock ele- ' ments of this battalion encountered enemy tanks in the foothills and knocked one of them out with an anti-tank gun. Fighting continued in the moon- ' light, but by dawn the front lay almost- across the entrance to the gap. On the right flank New Zealand forces, including Maoris, 1 advanced a distance of over 5000 yards in the face of stern resistance. The previous night the battalion, at small cost to themselves, had cleared the enemy from the shoulder of the gap, where he was in a strong position. The troops experienced their worst period yesterday during twenty minutes of actual advance, when the return fire from the enemy guns and } mortars fell among them. They were glad when they were on the move. : The battalion made good progress , in rounding up the enemy as they - went. Within a few hours they were . established in new positions. No ] mines were encountered. j The Maoris had a difficult task m ( overpowering enemy positions in a ( steep rocky part of the gap, which A tanks were unable to negotiate. This , they accomplished in the main after t hard fighting, much of it at close ( quarters. . t The enemy were still holding out r in one place this morning, within grenade-throwing range of our c troops. r Maoris Too Good For Naxjs One company of Maoris accounted for many Germans when they stormed a position from which they were being shelled. Two platoons advanced under covering fire from a third. German infantry came on to meet i them, but, firing while kneeling or s standing, the Maoris disposed of c them. £ In the whole advance over 1100 r prisoners, mainly Germans, were c taken. This brought the total prisoners captured since our forces i entered Tebaga Gap to over 3000. r The counting of many guns and other material that was captured is proceeding this morning. Among the collection are several 88 m.m. guns and many medium and smaller calibre guns. f This morning elements of enemy i infantry and some heavy guns are t still active on our right flank, but c tanks, artillery and infantry are t being used to deal with them. Valuable support to our right flank, 3 where it dealt with enemy elements t among the gullies and ridges of 1 the Matmatas was carried out by a I Fighting French column. ti