TUNISIA ADVANCE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 81, 6 April 1943, Page 4

TUNISIA ADVANCE

DOMINION TROOPS

AXIS' BIG EQUIPMENT LOSS N.Z.E.F. Official War Correspondent SOUTH-WEST OF GABES, Mar. 29. Light armoured forces attached to the New Zealanders entered Gabes a few minutes before midday to-day. Following their successful attack against German-held positions in the Tebaga Gap on March 26, our troops have pressed steadily forward to emerge from a mazy, dusty, windswept track—for that was the state to which the gap had been reduced —into greener and more pleasant parts. There have been no further major engagements, but advanced elements of our forces had to probe around to ascertain the retreating enemy's positions. Proceeding generally in a northeasterly direction, the New Zeaanders by-passed enemy positions by sweeping south of Djebel Halouga, isolated hills directly ahead. As the New Zealanders advanced, evidence of the enemy's losses in equipment were to be seen on all sides in the form of deserted guns, many of heavy calibre and complete with great piles of ammunition, and destroyed .tanks. Enemy air activity during the past two days has been on a greatly reduced scale.