TROOPS ON KEY HILL

Evening Post, Volume CXXXV, Issue 102, 1 May 1943, Page 6

TROOPS ON KEY HILL

AMERICANS LOSE HEAVILY

(By Telegraph—Press Assoriation—Copyrlfcht.) LONDON, April 30. i From newly-won positions on the! slopes of Hill 609 four miles east of! Sidi Nsir the Americans are able to see Bizerta and Tunis. The hill is the core of the last Axis stronghold in North Africa. The 600-foot hill seized by the French from which Bizerta is visible is five miles n rth-east of Lake Garate Achkel, which is separated from Lake Bizerta by a narrow neck of land on which runs the main road between Tunis and Bizerta. ' The Zurich correspondent of the "Daily Telegraph" reports that German ■newspapers are preparing the public for defeat in Tunisia. The "Voelkischer Beobachter" . said the German and Italian troops in Tunisia had retreated only because of the enemy's gigantic superiority in men and material. The correspondent adds that the Germans are being told to regard the Tunisian campaign as only one phase of a war spread over several continents. AMERICAN LOSSES. The Americans' advance up the slopes of Hill -609 was followed by a German . counter-attack. The Americans held on and later they repeatedly attempted to storm the heights, but lost heavily under a rain of mortar fire. 'The Americans consolidated a half-mile gain, but the task of capturing' the peak is still ahead. Captain Sertorius, broadcasting over Berlin radio, claimed that there had been no important changes in the 24 hours ended at noon today. He also claimed that the Germans held the initiative in the local fighting east of Medjez el Bab where, he said, a considerable setback was suffered by the Allied tanks in their thrust towards Tebourba on April 28. "The New Zealanders tried to storm the heights north of Enfidaville," he said, "but were driven from (he slopes in fierce hand-to-hand fighting. A German counter-attack forced the Eighth Army to abandon all the ground it had gained in its drive towards Pont dv Fahs." NOT PRESSED HOME. ■ The military writer of the "Daily ■Express" says that the Allied forces have failed to press home the great advantages won at the beginning of the week. The plain truth of the latest news is that the enemy is holding on to all key-points and blocking the way to the Tunis plateau. General Alexander succeeded in breaking into the German defences, but did not succeed in breaking through them. There was justifiable optimism on April 27 that the hard core of the enemy defences was giving way and the French commander expected to take Pont dv Fahs within 48 kours. This was not reckoning with the Germans' tenacity and possibly under-estimating the strength of their fixed fortifications. It is true that the Allies, can better afford losses, but against this there are three factors to take into account. LOSSES AND STRATEGY. .Firstly, the Axis is replacing some of Its losses because some ships and planes evade our blockade. Secondly, yon Arnim will not need so many men when he falls backs to Tunis and Bizerta. Thirdly, some of our losses must be in highly-trained regiments. The battle for Bou Aoukaz is continuing tonight with neither adversary having gained a decisive position. On balance, the Germans have had a little the better of the struggle but the First Army has not been dislodged, from the western slopes. It has made painfully slow progress, but it remains true that once the breakthrough comes, and our armour has room to manoeuvre, there will be a great acceleration in pace. The final phase will be siege warfare with the Germans possibly abandoning Tunis, concludes the "Daily Express."