TUNISIAN FRONT

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23916, 7 April 1943, Page 3

TUNISIAN FRONT

Little Activity Reported french advance IN NORTH (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) V (B«c. 11 P- m •> LONDON, April 6. T The Tunisian front is for the ). mo rt part quiet. French forces "vjve advanced cast of Cap Serrat, and American forces arc fortifying positions in the hills east of El Guctar. No action is reported from the 81h Amy’s front. Informed American military circles arc inclined to believe that the Tunisian campaign will last anywhere from six weeks to four montii* or ,on S cr ' dependent on J ftxis strategy. The Washington correspondent of the ‘‘New York Times” says: •if Marshal Rommel decides to attempt to evacuate his troops to Sicily, and the Allied campaign roes well in North Africa the war in this theatre might conceivably end in six or eight weeks. On the contrary, if the Allies get all the had breaks and Marshal Rommel makes a last-ditch stand, the campaign might draw out to August. Observers are expecting a hard fight, hut there are no signs of undue pessimism.” The comparative lull which has descended on the land fronts in Tunisia was broken on Sunday only by the American sth Army, which drove back stiff opposition and decreased somewhat its distance from General Montgomery by the capture of two hills on the El Guetar-Gabes road, making possible an advance to the south-west-ward, The operation illustrates the difficulty Of the terrain over which the Americans are operating between Gafsa and Maknassi and which strongly protects the rear of Marshal Rommel's position on the Wadi Akarit. The countryside consists of a tangle of ravines and gullies between high hills, It is ideal for a prolonged defence and It is aided by deep minefields and concealed artillery. Tank attempts to break through arc likely to result in uneconomic losses, the only alternative .being a series of carefully planned infantry assaults

which ‘‘outwinkle’’ the enemy, enabling a gradual advance. The Germans are defending these strategic heights with j crack troops and skilfully emplaced 88mm. guns and mortars. These defences dominate cunningly laid minefields, strewing the valley floor which runs towards the coast road, where Marshal Rommel is concentrating on an attempt to prevent the junction of the United States and British forces. Activity on Northern Front There is chiefly patrol activity on the northern sectors although, according to the Algiers radio, the Ist Army has /'advanced beyond Cap Serrat without ,/mfeeting serious resistance.” There has be&v considerable artillery fire on the Mejez el Bab front. Where enemy trqops and transport suffered heavily. Better weather has made possible an increase on Allied air activity resulting in many air combats. “The Ist Army’s recent advances in mountainous north Tunisia, with mist and rain hampering the use of heavy armour, promise well for the future,” says the correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph” at Allied headquarters. "Lieutenant-General Anderson held north Tunisia for nearly three months with a sketchy force bf men and material under the roughest conditions, when the men were daily baling out their dug-outs and emplacements. “To-day the position is altered. Heavy rain has ceased. General Anderson has been strongly reinforced by troops and tanks and has also received the French 19th Corps, which > has been under instruction for the last two months in the use of armour, equipment, and weapons supplied from the Allied pool.” German commentators predict emly large-scale operations, asserting that General Montgomery is putting down a ring of artillery fire on the Axis outer defences at the Wadi Akarit. and is also concentrating his tanks further to the northward. A dispatch from the Berlin correspondent of the Swiss newspaper. Gazette de Lausanne." which the German censorship passed, asserts that the Axis to-day is suffering severely in it? effort to supply its North African forces because the beat part of Italy’s merchant fleet was confiscated in hcutral and enemy ports when Italy entered the war. The dispatch adds that British sub•nal[ncs E ' rp , taking toll of Italian ships in the Mediterranean. but this “would notbe serious had Italy not lost a large Part of her most modern merchantmen. Admiral Doenitz’s recent visit to Italy ean be connected with the Axis efforts 1° free traffic between Italy rind tunisn from nressur'* which is not "ethaible " M near famine exists in the city of Umis. T| ie civilian . population of i 'zcrte has been evacuated to suburban and roport districts, according w ?n eyo-witivss who has arrived at A Tic-n headquarters " says the Vf ' r ' < Times” corr n si)ond°nt. Sulzberger. "No meat has be°n pliable in Tunis since January. ic rationed to 130 grammes a IP n' inc * fhr:re are long queues con>iantly at food shops. The Germans navo fal-cn over big hole's and establishment. and strict guards prev'nt i f'weno f rom aopreach'ng th°m. After a brief moment of triumph when th° S ,rr ° DS arrived the enthusiasm of I;.?. Italian population vastly dimin*anc' ’ s now renlaccd by long faces and pessimism. The Axis wounded arc so numerous that civilian fl °spitals arc handling the overflow.” RUSSIAN SHIPS ON U.S. COAST TWO MERCHANTMEN RUN AGROUND 1 a.m.l WASHINGTON. April 6. The United States Navy Department announces that two small Russian merchantmen have run aground off the North Pacific coast of the United i “ la tes Heavy seas made rescue operaions difficult, and reports indicate that - ere have been some casualties.