AMERICA'S PART

Evening Star, Issue 24466, 30 March 1943, Page 3

AMERICA'S PART

TOUGH FIGHT FOR GAFSA-GABES ROAD SUCCESS THREATENS ROMMEL'S FLANK (British Official Wireless.) (Rec. noon.) RUGBY, March 29. The American troops who launched a heavy attack on Axis positions on the Gafsa-Gabes road on Sunday morning succeeded in making penetrations, states a correspondent cabling from Gafsa. This has provided another threat to Rommel's flank, and has also narrowed the gap between the allied armies. The American attack continued throughout a day of hard fighting. The Italian and German forces were strongly entrenched in the hills, and put up the strongest opposition the Americans had experienced in this sector. The United States forces had to fight hard for every inch of ground they gained. The Americans brought up large forces, and .from the time of the "attack shells were screaming across the hills and valleys incessantly throughout the day. The enemy had also a considerable amount of artillery and mortars, which he used effectively against the infantry as they advanced through the foothills. Enemy strong points slowed down our advances considerably, as they were often on the edge of a precipice overlooking narrow mountain roads, little more than goat paths, along which the Americans advanced. The correspondent, giving an eye-witness account of the battle, says he could see the infantry moving up through the foothills amid the haze of battle, while the' guns barked behind him and their shells burst among the hills, throwing up clouds of dust. He states that he could follow the advance by watching the enemy mortar bombs bursting as gradually throughout the day they moved back from the middle to the eastern end of the hills. The advance was slow, but certain. The enemy on the northern side of the road was strongly entrenched in one horseshoe hill which proved a very tough nut to crack. RommfeJ sent up reinforcements through Ch'einsi and Jebel, and the long column of lorries was an object of great attention by our fighters and bombers, which attacked the enemy vehicles heavily. Across the valley, which was still littered with several burnt-out tanks which the Nazis lost on Tuesday, there was a constant stream of American ; vehicles of all kinds, from little jeeps carrying staff officers to big supply wagons. During the battle General Alexander personally visited the front and talked with the troops.