HUNDREDS OF GUNS BLAST A PASSAGE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 108, 8 May 1943, Page 5

HUNDREDS OF GUNS BLAST A PASSAGE

DRIVE ON TUNIS Enemy Tanks Withdraw With Severe Losses N.Z. Press Association. —Copyright Rec. 1 p.m. LONDON, May 7 The British United Press says that the artillery barrage at 3 a.m. yesterday was the prelude to the great drive to Tunis. Hundreds of guns thundered out, including many; rushed up to the newly-won Jebel Bou Aoukaz. This time we had high ground with us and made the best use of it.

Infantry, following El Alamein tactics, went in after the barrage lifted and bore the brunt of the early fighting. They made a way for the tanks to break through into more open country. The infantry gained their first objectives within two hours, after which Allied bombers

staged non-stop raids against the infantry's second and third objectives. , The infantry struck south-east and captured Jebel Frenj. Another infantry thrust cleared a large hill west of Massicault. The armoured forces went in at 5 p.m. Lumbering giants clanked and rattled along the roads and across fields. German tanks were waiting, hull down, only their tops showing, backed up by mobile guns. All were prepared to blast our tanks as they swung into action, but the boot was on the other foot. We brought up heavy guns during Wednesday night. They helped to blast a way for our armour, which roared on to the plain and found a total of 60 Axis tanks opposing them. A brief tank engagement occurred six miles west or Massicault, but the Axis tanks withdrew after severe losses.

SINKINGS IN SICILY

ALLIES ATTACK SHIPS Reed. 2 p.m. LONDON, May 7. Allied Air Force headquarters in North Africa announced that two destroyers were sunk, in addition to one which was blown up, in a Sicilian port, making a total of three sunk and two damaged. An earlierAlgiers communique announced that in attacks on Favignana Island, oft the west coast of Sicily, 11 small vessels were sunk and several others hit.