More Gains In Tunisia

Evening Post, Volume CXXXV, Issue 67, 20 March 1943, Page 5

More Gains In Tunisia

LONDON, March 19. In southern Tunisia United States forces have pushed beyond Gafsa and have occupied El Guetar. Another report says that Allied troops are approaching Sened. These latest reuorts mean that the Americans have ad. vanced 40 or 50 miles and have reoccupied most of the positions they had to give up last month. The reason for the speed of their advance is that they are meeting- with very little enemy resistance. The weather has been very bad. and in the last two days there has been two inches of rain, or a quarter of the annual rainfall in those parts. There are floods in places and many of the roads are almost impassable for heavy vehicles until the ground dries up. Italian troops are reported to be holding- a village about half-way between £1 Guetar and Sened. These two places are about 20 miles apart. One report puts the American forces . 70 miles from Gabes, the Axis port behind the Mareth Line.

On the Mareth battlefront itself the only news is that General Montgomery's men have made what is called in today's Allied communique "some slight local adjustments along the Eighth Army front." There was not much interference •with these movements by the enemy.

~ In northern Tunisia Gefman pressure continues in the area west of Sed Jenane and British forces have withdrawn from Tamera. Fighting is going on three miles south-west of the village. Discussing .the American drive in the south, a correspondent says the American^ and French troops who occupied Gafsa are now consolidating their gains and sending out air and land patrols. Some of the infantry patrols advanced along the road for about 12 miles, and later they found that Ei Guetar was not occupied by the enemy. ' Since then these patrols have been probing further along the road which runs for most of the way to the coast between a range of mountains to the north and another to the south. The patrols do not seem to' have met much enemy resistance. Flying is being affected by low and heavy cloud. The correspondent describes the German pressure in northern Tunisia as an attempt to force a way along the.road from Mateur. There is hard infantry fighting for .every mile gained. So far the enemy's attempt has succeeded' in getting him half-way to his objective. Tamera, which the enemy occupied Sesterday after the British withdrawal le night before, is some six miles west of Sed Jenane. Three miles south-west of Tamera the Germans launched two small infantry attacks, and fighting is still going on. American Liberator bombers attacked Naples harbour in daylight yesterday and again during the night. Cloud prevented the results from being observed.