ROMMEL’S LATEST MOVE

Greymouth Evening Star, 8 March 1943, Page 5

ROMMEL’S LATEST MOVE

EIGHTH ARMY ATTACKED

ENEMY’S TANKS DESTROYED

ALLIES ADVANCE IN CENTRE

LONDON, March 7. Marshal Rommel launched a large-scale attack against the Bth Army at dawn yesterday. British anti-tank guns quickly and witnout loss destroyed 21 German tanks which attacked with infantry support. The lighting continues. This was announced in an early morning nfessage from the Algiers radio. The fighting is believed to be hottest two miles east of the town of Mareth, and about six miles southeast of the actual Mareth line. Extensive skirmishing and artillery duelling have been occurring between the British and the Italians and Germans in this area since Wednesday. Reuter’s correspondent at Allied headquarters says Marshal Rommel is continuing to follow his bold precept of “ ‘hit the enemy before he bits you,’ but the last time he did this ‘'against General Montgomery was the prelude to the German disaster at Alarnein.”

TWO ATTACKS DESCRIBED

RUGBY. March 7

Rommel sent old campaigners of the panzer forces along with infantry into the attack against the Bth Army, but the move was anticipated; says a correspondent in North Africa. ,It was a case of artillery against tanks. The enemy’s heavy armoured forces suffered heavily in the first attack launched at 6.45 a.in. in the southern sector of the Mareth area. The second attack, launched at 10.30. developed on a much larger scale. Rommel appeared trying to move northward Io higher ground from Matmata. Again, this move was anticipated and succesfully met by the British. Our positions held everywhere. The lighting is becoming the biggest battle since Alamein. Rommel’s forces, whose losses are already very heavy without having penetrated any part of our positions, are reforming. The Germans seemed to put the whole of their weight into the southern attack, but in the northern sector lighting was light. A wireless commentator describing the battle says: The Bth Army, having reached that point of its advance when it turned from going eastward to get north, is standing to fight some miles north-west of’ the town of Medenine. Six or seven miles ahead is the Mareth Line. The British are on a fairly narrow plain, with hills to its left, widening away southward, and behind it the coast curving round to the east. In the first light of yesterday, Rommel’s tanks and armoured infantry appeared out of the hills on the Bth Army’s left, moving northward, with the object of swinging to attack. An hour later, German and and Italian panzer forces came from the Mareth Line proper, and made a direct frontal attack. By 10.30, it was clear the enemy meant serious business. Our gun’s met the attack, and so far it is known that the enemy lost 21 tanks. By this time he has certainly lost more. The Bth Army perfected its technique in dealing with knocked out tanks. Sappers blew them up, so the enemy' cannot recover use of them again. It is also known that Rommel is using most of the guns and troops he sent off a fortnight ago through Central Tunisia up to the Kasserine gap. Many of his troops certainly covered several hundred miles in the last week or two. They, of course, are very tough battle ’trained troops, in a good position geographically, and they may feel they have no immediate cause to worry about their rear.

ROMMEL HARD HIT.

(Recd. 11.45 a.m.) LONDON, March 7

While the Algiers radio declared that the Eighth Army is complete master of the situation, having repulsed Rommel's attacks, the British United Press correspondent reports that violent lighting is still going on along the Mareth Line front. This correspondent adds that Rommel’s opening attacks at dawn on March 6 were launched from Toupana Halluf, at the western end of the Mareth Lino front, which is the right flank of the Axis positions. Rommel’s losses in men and tanks were heavy. The Eighth Army losses were negligible. ~ 2 _ The Algiers radio said that Rommel’s defeat before the Mareth Line was graver than the Kasserine deAn American radio commentator reported that Rommel is reforming for a fresh attack. There is no doubt at headquarters that the German thrusts were a major attack intended to defeat the Eighth Army. The decisive stage of the battle lor Africa has begun.” „ Reuter’s correspondent on the lunisian front says that Rommel has thrown in all his men and armoui in a desperate attempt to throw Montjoinery off his balance and stave oil a British onslaught. Rommel is gunning a dangerous risk of lataiiy weakening himself by exposing his forces to such shattering blows as Montgomery dealt out yesterday.

CENTRAL FRONT.

ALLIED ADVANCE CONTINUED

LONDON, March 7. The German corridor in central Tunisia has been further narrowed by the occupation of Bichon, 55 miles from the port of Sousse, by United States forces. French troops, attei the capture of Ousseltia, are also pushing on to Pichon. A British United Press correspondent in Tunisia says the Allied toices, following the occupation of Pichon, are massing at the western entrance of the mountain pass leadm & t. K Reuter’s correspondent in Tunisia, describing the capture of Pichon says ihe Allied forces which swept into Pichon on Friday took, the town after trekking 70 miles m nine days across mountain They weie the advance guards 01 Y lc ;°Vhed the Kasserin Pass, and had Pushed across country from Sbeitla 'roads sown with mines. The noith ern arm of the advance took Rclio after meeting resistance from 10 enemy armoured vehicles, which W TheiXted'A&advance of 25 miles from Sbeitla to Sidi Bousi is confirmed in London Sidi Bousid is 12 miles west of the Faid Pass, liom which the Germans startea then counter-offensive. According to the New Yoik ladio, Allied troops have captured • Faid pass itself, which is the gateway the central Tunisian i“ ls American report is not officially confirmed, but earlier North African dispatches suggested the Germans retired into the pass after the Allied occupation of Sidi Bousid. Reuter’s Algiers correspondent says the French forces' in the south are meeting little resistance as they drive from Nefta to Tozeur. Allied forces in the south are also approaching Gafsa, from which the enemy is apparently preparing to withdraw.

OPERATIONS SUMMARISED.

LONDON, March 7

Saturday’s Allied North African communique says: “Allied armoured units on Friday advanced further eastwards, and entered Pichon, 20 miles west of Kairouan. “Enemy activity in northern lunisia was on a reduced scale, but our vigorous patrol activity continued in i all sectors, and small local gains I were achieved. Thirty enemy tanks i have been destroyed since the enemy started his attacks in the north “Patrol activity by the Bth Army ; continued, and enemy working paiI ties were successfully engaged by our ■ artillery French patrols continued their activity in the Shott el .lend salt lake area.” . . ... The real battle for Tunisia will soon begin, according to a repoit which has reached the .French military mission in the United States from French headquarters in Algiers. The critical phase is stated to nave ended with Marshal Rommels failure to exploit his offensive at Kasserin. French developments now depend on General Montgomery s as sault on the Mareth Line It is.predicted that this will be the signal loi the final Allied attack. FIGHTING IN THE NORTH BRITISH WITHDRAWAL LONDON, March 6. The German effort in Tunisia at present is concentrated on a 50-mile front running south from the Mediterranean. Here they are doing then utmost to dislodge the British horn Sedjenane, Beja, and Mejez el Bat. These three places command lmpoitant east-west roads. Sedjenane is very important because the Germans have only to push on a lew miles beyond Sedjenane before the hilly defensible country widens out into a rolling sandy plain swinging southwestwards across the communications to Beja and Mejez el Bab. Events of the five days up to Lhuisday indicate that the Allied Command is fully seized of the importance o holding these three roadblocks. The Germans have vainly sacnficed nun dreds of men and scores of aimomed and other vehicles m an attempt to grab Sedjenane, but they are still only on the outskirts of Sedjenane and Mejez el Bab. The British line runs north from Sedjenane to a point Joti •miles east ol Cap Serrat. Ihe Bci radio on Thursday claimed that the Germans had reached a point just southward of Cap Serrat. AT£R While the Allied forces have pushed the Germans back m cential lurnsia, British troops in the north have withdrawn from the town of Sedjenane to Tamera, six or seven miles iurtnei west along the coast road. Reuter’s Algiers correspondent says British troops, after fierce house-to-house battles at Sedjenane, weie forced back along the mam coast road seven miles to Tqmera, wheie their positions can be better defended than at Sedjenane. Counter-attacks can also be more easily launched, rhe “Sunday Express” says General von Arnim, hurriedly switching aeioplanes from other fronts, used divebombers to blast the Ist Army from Sedjenane to Tamera. Dive-bombeis strafed the road leading west from the town and also heavily plastered the town itself. .., A correspondent of the Biitish United Press says: “The Germans are 'preparing a new drive against the Allied positions at Tamera. . The Axis thrust in northern Tunisia has cost them at least 45 tanks and between 3000 and 4000 men. Little concern is felt in official quarters at the German "ain However, a further six-miies advance would take the Germans to Jebel Abiod, giving General yon Arnim control of the important supply road from Tabarca to Beja.’ Another report says: Pressure along the road north-east of Beja has been especially heavy, but the front from there to the mam pivot at Mejez el Bab holds firm. Neither has the enemy succeeded in undermining the pivot from the south. Mejez el Bab, however, still lies in a dangerous salient. British and’German artilleiy are still indulging in gun duels across the valley east of Mejez el Bab. The Germans occasionally make a sortie towards the outskirts of that town.

INITIATIVE REGAINED

LONDON, March 7

Allied Headquarters in North Africa reports that the Axis offensive m the northern sector of Tunisia has decreased in intensity and that the Allies have regained the initiative. Patrons were again intensely active, taking over a hundred prisoners and generally consolidating recent gains in all sectors. WITH THE FRENCH. A French North Africa communique states: The day was calm on our front. In the plain of Ousseltia, several enemy patrols were destroyed. Prisoners were taken.

LONDON, March 7. A detachment of Fighting French paratroops arrived at Algiers, after an adventurous trek from the Nile banks via Kufra Oasis, Southern Libya. The paratroops, after blowing up the Gabes-Sfax railway, penetrated the German positions near Gafsa, and joined up with Giraud s forces.

AERIAL OPERATIONS

RUGBY, March 7

An Allied North African communique states: “Our fighters were particularly active throughout the day on the northern front, and fighterbombers attacked enemy vehicles successfully. “In the Eighth Army area, fighter bombers made attacks, on enemy columns and concentrations of tanks and motor transport. One enemy fighter was destroyed. Three of our aircraft are missing.” AXIS SHIPS SUNK. LONDON, March 7. “Flying Fortresses sank four ships and disabled two others of an enemy convoy off Bizerta,” says a correspondent in North Africa. “This brings the United States Army Air Forces toll of Axis shipping in the Mediterranean since November 8 last to 33 sunk, 15 severely damaged, and 40 damaged.” A Royal Air Force Middle East air communique says: “Our heavy bombers on Thursday night heavily attacked Naples harbour, starting fires. From these and other operations one of our aircraft is missing. BOMBER CREW’S ORDEAL LONDON, March 6. The crew of a Wellington bomber, of which Flying Officer A. B. Smith, of Wellington, N.Z., was captain, spent 81 hours in a dinghy. The bomber made a forced landing after an engine failed 20 miles off the Tunisian coast. The crew spent 81 hours in the dinghy, taking turns at

rowing for an hour and resting for two hours until they reached the shore. It is revealed that they were forced down after a night attack against Gabes. . , Flying Officer Smith said: We drifted for 11 hours, hoping to be rescued. Then we started paddling southwards. In order to make sure we did not land on'German territory, we rowed for 70 hours, until finally we reached the coast. We were drenched to the skin every night. We got no sleep. When walking ashore we staggered like drunks.” TREATMENT OF JEWS. ALGIERS, March 6. General Giraud has ordered that equal employment rights must be accorded to Jewish and Gentile women. He has thus removed the outstanding criticism of his administration. General Giraud stated: “It has been reported that Jewish women have been excluded from nursing and the postal automobile service. This situation is inadmissible at a time when the Army needs help from all France, and not racial prejudices.”