Ist Army Crosses Peninsula

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23945, 12 May 1943, Page 3

Ist Army Crosses Peninsula

5000 PRISONERS TAKEN f

(N.Z. Prc.vj Association—-Copyright)

(Ktr. I a.m.) LONDON, May 11. The last Axis lorces under arms in Tunisia have been split in two. The Cape Bon peninsula has now been sealed off, and the enemy troops on it are entirely cut off both by land and sea. This is revealed in to-day’s Allied communique, which says that the Ist Army yesterday made a complete break through in the Hammam Lit’ area and advanced right across the base of the peninsula, capturing Soliman, Grombalia, and Menzel bou Zalfa. By the evening they had reached the outskirts of Hammamet, on the eastern side of the peninsula. The Ist Army in (his advance took 5000 prisoners, including troops of the Hermann Goering Division. Prisoners are still coming in. Allied aircraft attacked the Axis forces on the peninsula from dawn to dusk, causing heavy casualties. Large tires were seen on the peninsula last night. Parlies of (he enemy trying to escape by sea are still being mopped up. There is no further news of the Axis infantry force cut off south of the peninsula. The blitz against bases and airfields in Sicily continues. Yesterday Flying Fortresses attacked these targets, and medium bombers attacked the airfield on Pantellaria for the third night running.

Reports a few hours before the communique was issued said that enemy infantry were putting up the last stages of resistance in a strip of territory about 20 miles square, just south of the peninsula. ' Correspondents say that the enemy troops in the peninsula arc in a hopeless position. They arc completely blockaded. The capture of Grombalia and Soliman was announced earlier to-day to the House of Commons by the Deputyprime Minister ('Mr C. R. Attlee). Mr Attlee said that the Ist Army covered the last 30 miles to Tunis in 36 hours. Its casualties numbered 1200, which, considering the scale of the attack and the tenacity of the defence, had not been heavy. Enemy resistance west of the Cape Eon line stiffened considerably on Sunday. There was fierce fighting in the Hamtnam I.if area, before our troops pushed on. ■ The Algiers radio last night announced that the remnants of the crack Hermann Goering Division had surrendered, Those forces wore earlier slated to be holding a position near liammam Lif, and another east of Cretevillc. A correspondent at Allied Headquarters says that British tanks at (he northern entrance to the peninsula have teen held up at a wadi which has been constantly shelled by the Germans, it is estimated that the enemy west , rf the mouth of the peninsula include £ Hifenhy nnds of the U)lh and 15th > IV;zcr* Divisions, units of the 2lsl 1 panzer Division and the 90th and I (54th ' light inff.ni) y. besides seme Italian tiin'ts in the coast, area. French troops have captured Zaghi inn. This news came after the issue ct a French communique which said

that French units, after by-passing the Zaghouan heights, continued to advance and were mopping up pockets of enemy resistance. By Sunday night all the western part of the mountain chain was in French hands. French aircraft, the communique added, successfully attacked enemy vessels off Cape Bon. A French battalion which has been fighting in the Bou Arada area marched into Tunis on Sunday morning. says an agency correspondent. It was treated as if it were a conquering army. In the Cape Bon peninsula and the Hammamel-Zagliouan-Soliman triangle there may still be about 100.000 Axis troops, and reports make it clear that thev arc lighting desperately. Gavda. the Italian publicist, writing in (lie "Giornale ciTtalia.” dwells on the odd; against the Italians in the last phase of the Tunisian battle. He said that the Allied aeroplanes reached a total of 5000. against a “modest number” used by the Axis.