The Press SATURDAY, MAY 8, 1943. Tunisia

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23942, 8 May 1943, Page 4

The Press SATURDAY, MAY 8, 1943. Tunisia

The dramatically sudden news of the American troops’ success at Mateur has been followed by developments of great promise. Bizerte has been more closely enveloped by further advances above and below Garaa-Achkel and from Mateur towards Ferryville; and the harbour fortress is near a state of siege. The actuality will be reached when progress on the central front, which has been considerable, reaches the Tunis road, a few miles from the sea. Tebourba, menaced both from Mateur and by the Ist Army’s advance down the Mejez el Bab road to Massicault, must" soon be untenable, if in fact the enemy has not already withdrawn to Jedeida at least; and against the converging attacks now in progress he can have no chance of standing there. Further south, although Pont du Fahs has been obstinately held, the point has now been reached when it can be held no longer, if the enemy is to avoid being trapped between the Ist Army and the Bth. He must either make good his retreat by the Zaghouan rail and road while he can, or else, leaving Tunis exposed on the southeast, fall back on the peninsula to Cape Bon. There has been a hint, in reports of Allied bombardment of numerous’ jetties under construction near Cape Bon, that the enemy may attempt this line of retreat and escape by sea; and it is not unlikely, because a battle in the plains before Tunis can only be a lost battle for a lost city. The means of maintaining a long defence, costly to the Allies in time and resources, are at Tunis much less than they are at Bizerte. There they are those of a first-class fortress, built for security against landward and sea attack. The advance has as yet barely tested them, if at all. But it need not be taken for granted that, if the campaign otherwise is carried to early success, it will then have to be completed by a series of all-arms assaults on Bizerte. It is at least possible that measures can and will be taken to fasten an unbreakable grip on Bizerte. while Allied plans art pursued in other directions.