TUNISIAN CAMPAIGN

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 April 1943, Page 5

TUNISIAN CAMPAIGN

ENEMY LOSES MORE PLANES

EIGHTH ARMY’S NEW ATTACK

BREACH IN AXIS DEFENCES

LONDON, April 20. To-day’s North African communique states:— Yesterday fighters of the Tactical Air Force, continuing the offensive off the coast of Tunisia, destroyed 12 more Junkers 52 transport aircraft and eight other aircraft. Reports now show that three additional enemy fighters were shot down in Sunday’s attacks. Air sweeps and patrols over the forward areas continued yesterday, four enemy aircraft being destroyed. Medium and light bombers attacked enemy airfields and lighter-bombers attacked a concentration of tanks. The port and shipping at ’funis were attacked by Flying Fortresses of the Strategic Air Force, and bombs were seen to fall in the dock area. The shooting down ol 12 more Junkers transports makes a total ol 80 of these aircraft destroyed in two days. . n R.A.F. planes Irom Malta weie active throughout Monday and last night, destroying enemy aircraft and bombing targets in Sicily. Spitfires destroyed four enemy planes m sweeps over the Mediterranean. Two were JUS2 transports and the others were JUBB’s escorting two vessels which the Spitfires attacked Mosquitoes destroyed another JUS2, and fighter-bombers attacked Lampedusa Island. PARTIAL EVACUATION • RUGBY, April 20. Recent massacres of German transport planes off the Tunisian coast are not taken as proof that mass evacuation is in progress. It seems reasonable to suppose that with the withdrawal to ' Northern Tunisia, enemy troops hitherto engaged on the lines of communication, have become superfluous, and are being sent back. There is also the possibility that stores in Tunisia are limited and, therefore, men for whom no specific job can be found, have become encumbrances. Bad weather restricted Allied bombers, but fighters and fighterbombers made the usual sweeps and patrols. Twenty-five Axis planes are reported as shot down by the Northwest African Air Force. Tne total enemy aircraft shot down on Sunday and Monday is given as 12, including 70 Junker transports, flying on the supply route between Sicily and Tunis. , , , Mitchells and Bostons, escorted by Spitfires, yesterday blasted the La Si beta airfield and scored hits on the La Marsa landing ground, while Fortresses scored hits on the railway yard and an industrial sector in Tunis. CONSTANT _ WATCH KEPT (Recd. 11.45 a.m.) LONDON, Apr. 20. The “Daily Express’s" Cairo correspondent says: Spitfire pilots returning from patrols yesterday reported that the roads to Tunis were packed with retreating enemy transport, “racing hell for leather." These pilots are now flying from the newly-built landing grounds just behind our forward troops, and within a short distance of Tunis and Bizerta and ths few remaining Axis airfields. They have in the n' ,c t few days penetrated the outskirts of Tunis frequently without meeting a single Gorman plane. Allied fighters are maintaining a ceaseless watch over the enemy airfields, so it is increasingly difficult for large numbers of Axis planes to take off without being immediately spotted. Reuter’s Algiers correspondent says that, despite the smarting losses in big transport planes, Rommel is still bringing them into Tunisia. His lavish use of them suggests he is getting rid of all the unessential personnel possible before the big fight. The British United Press correspondent with the British Fleet, east of Tunisia, says that naval reconnaissance has revealed no signs of any large concentration of Axis shipping for the evacuation of forces from Tunisia. “The majority of officers with whom I have spoken consider that Rommel will use only planes. The belief is growing that when key personnel have been evacuated the remainder of the Afrika Korps will be left to fight for a while and then surrender. Nevertheless, the Fleet is prepared for a possible evacuation by sea, even on a minor scale.”

MONTGOMERY STRIKES EARLY PROGRESS REPORT. . RUGBY, April 20. Montgomery’s Eighth Army has launched a new big scale attack against the Axis, some 50 miles south of Tunis, and made a breach near the coast. This information was given by a special Algiers communique, which adds: The new offensive began last night, and forced a breach near Enfidaville. The heavy battle was continued. The announcement followed earlier German reports of heavy fighting. The correspondent says the attack began shortly after 9 p.m., with one of the Eighth Army’s famous artillery barrages. This was followed 90 minutes later by an advance by strong forces of infantry, which, with a series of hardhitting punches, drove a wedge into the Axis defences. FIRST OBJECTIVES REACHED. (Rec. 1.15 p.m.) LONDON, April 20. Montgomery’s new offensive began with a 'specla’cular moonlight attack, supported by an intense creeping barrage. under cover of which the infantry advanced through thick cactus olive groves in no man’s land, at the foot of the mountains. The British United Press correspondent with the Bth Army says the attack began at 10 p.m. on April 19. preceded by a powerful 90 minute gun barrage against the Axis mountain strongooints. Latest reports say the first oojectives were reached.

GERMAN STATEMENTS.

BRITISH REVERSE CLAIMED (Recd. 11.45 a.m.) LONDON, April 20. While Allied sources report merely artillery and patrol activity on thee Tunisian front, Berlin radios mill-)-tary commentator, Captain Sertorius, i : after a reference to the intensity of i the barrage during the night of April; 19, says several thrusts by major in- | fantry tank forces followed on the j morning of April 20. . i' “Extensive fighting ensued, whica! ' was still in progress at noon. _ It re- , mains to be seen whether this is a prelude to the expected large-scale attack from the Eighth Army or only , reconnaissance. It is known that, General Montgomery is inclined to | hurl the first attacking wave mto, battle as a kind of test, after which he throws in the bulk of the forces, or leaves a lull if the first attempt is unsuccessful.” Berlin radio broadcast a description of the fighting in Tunisia, received in Berlin to-day:. “The enemy s barrage is like a continuous thunderstorm. His artillery is everywhere—in the hills and valleys, and on the

' sandy ground. The night seemed I endless to us. The eternal fire wears 1 down our nerves; the breeze from . the sea blows sand in our eyes; , nevertheless, the Tommy throws new forces against us. We try under the darkness of night to disengage ourselves from the enemy; however, the 1 British are pushing forward against us.” Berlin radio later claimed the Eighth Army had attacked with strong infantry forces on the Enfidaville Line, but was beaten off. The battle was stated to haye reached its climax in moonlight in the early hours of this morning. The radio, detailing the action, said that after several hours of artillery preparation, to which the Axis replied, British infantry attacked on a two-mile front, along which fierce fighting occurred. The British despite heavy losses, repeatedly . attempted to break in at various points. “The enemy’s losses were so serious that reinforcements, accompanied by artillery, were rushed up, but the Axis attacked these from the flanks and only small groups of Montgomery’s forces reached the Axis advanced positions, where they were quickly cut off, driven pack, or wiped out. The Axis lines at dawn to-day were completely unbroken. The Axis bombers and combat planes intervened so effectively that the British abandoned further . attacks and retreated slowly to Itheir initial positions." ~ The radio also mentioned two minor Allied attacks in the Medjez el Bab and Bouarada areas without giving the results. ALLIED CHIEFS MEET LONDON, 'April 20. General Montgomery, flying in his own Flying Fortress, visited Allied Headquarters yesterday and met General Eisenhower and other Allied chiefs An artillery expert at Cairo has revealed that the destructive power ol British artillery will soon be considerably increased with the use of a more powerful explosive. “Tne British are ahead of the Axis in one particular shell. British guns have definitely got the upper hand of enemy tanks in recent desert operations and German tanks will soon be in a position similar to that of cavalry troops at the end of the last war.’’ He added that the present six-pounder shell pierced everything.

FRENCH TROOPS.

GERMAN ATTACK REPULSED

LONDON. April 20.

To-day's North African communioiie says: “In the central sectoi an enemy counter-attack against French troops on Sunday night was easily repulsed. In all otner sectors active patrolling continues.” Algiers radio reports that tne British continue to advance north-east of Mejez el Bab, where enemy resistance has weakened. The French, operating on the east, flank of the Ist Army, have increased their pressure against the enemy, and are pushing forward south of Pont du Fahs. According to the Pans radio. Axis forces have heavily blocked the road from Pont du Fahs to Tunis. Ma-chine-gun nests, batteries, and tanks are in a nosition ready to hinder the Allied advance. British troops are using an armoured self-propelled twenty-five pounaer gun mounted on a Valentine tank chassis, as divisional artillery. It has excellent shell power and general performance, and is a lormidable anti-tank weapon.

RUGBY. April 20

General De Gaulle, in a broadcast, said: “The men our people will judge to be worthy and capable of directing affairs are at present revealing themselves in resistance and battle.’’ WELL-EQUIPPED FORCE. RUGBY, April 20. “A new modern well-equipped French Army is growing before our eyes here in North Africa, ’ saia a radio commentator. “I have just visited one of the open air depots wlmre they take over some material shipped to them, and there are literally miles of gigantic crates and columns of transport, some ready to bo driven off, and others being assembled. Bits of guns were being uncovered and fitted together. I saw about a score of brand new Jeeps, each with a new French owner inside, poking about to discover how it worked. L was the happiest and most unusual thing I have seen in this war Although it was a warm day, an the French soldiers were working fast, many of them stripped to tae waist, and certainly among soldiers working hard on a hot day, I have never seen so many smiling laces, Ihe equipment came in a recent specra convoy to North Africa. Ii is part of tens of thousands of tons of modern fighting equipment that Mr. Roosevelt promised to send to the French forces, at the Casablanca conference. There are medium and light tanks, reconnaissance and armoured cars, mobile artillery, mobile tanks, destroyers, machine-guns, mortars, am munition of all sorts, and there are also uniforms, blankets, medical supplies and every form of vehicle from Jeeps to the huge cargo carriers and wreckers. . All this new material, arriving in such vast quantities now. is part of the definite long-range' programme. The scheme is administered by . a joint French rearmament commission, which is made up of tom American and three French and British officers. Their job is to help in rebuilding the French Army, and the commentator concluded: Alreactj there is visible proof of a great modern force that will come into being as another Allied army.

N.Z. LEAVE ALLOWANCE

[N.Z.E.F. Official News Service.]

CAIRO, April 19. Though it is perhaps regarded- as a “burnt offering,” the 3/- a day now allowed to men on leave fiom W e New Zealand Expeditionary Force is greatly appreciated by the troops in the Middle East. After Raving been three years in this war zone, with occasional leave, the men are now receiving the sub sistence allowance, which became available on April 1- 1S not payable for leave under 48 hours, it is a welcome addition to the pay book savings of the men of the division. who have been engaged with the Bth Army in the desert lor almost a year without leave. BEAVERBROOK’S CHANGE.

(Recd. 11.30 a.m.) LONDON, April 20. Lord Beaverbrook surprised the House of Lords by announcing tnat he .proposed to drop his “second front now” plea, contained in a motion calling for the Government s attention to the opportunity of opening a second front in Europe in view of

the successful progress of the Tunisian campaign. Lord Beaverbrook gave no reason for the withdrawal. N.Z. ENTRY INTO SOUSSE. —- [N.Z.E.F. Official News Service.] ALGIERS, April 19. Again in the forefront of the Eighth Army’s advance into Northern Tunisia, our forward cavalry and tanks, with the armour of a famous English regiment, are now known to have been"the first British troops to enter Sousse. An inland sweep of over 100 miles from Gabes brought them, a few days ago, to the first major coastal town they had reached since their entry into Tripoli almost three months ago. By-passing Sfax, our forward tanks headed for the coast from Eldjem, the ruins of the famous Roman amphitheatre about midwav between Sfax and Sousse, to reach Tunisia’s third port in the early morning a few days ago. Describing this last action, a correspondent with our main striking force said in a message from the front to-day that soon after Sousse was taken our guns, infantry, and trucks rumbled through ihe streets towards the German gun line a few miles beyond the town. Late into the night and again the next morning our guns battled against the German artillery till it withdrew northwards. “All along the way cheering and waving groups of men, women, and children collected at vantage points to give our men a most enthusiastic welcome,” says the correspondent. “Wherever the trucks stopped excited gatherings collected. Flowers were thrown on the passing trucks and cars, and from their remaining meagre stocks some French civilians brought gifts of wine. Sousse was badly battered when we entered it, and comparatively few of the 30,000 people who inhabited it before the war appear to have remained. Part of the area of the waterfront is particularly severely damaged, and a number of derelict vessels lie z partlv submerged. Further from the waterfront, "though many houses have been evacuated, the damage is_ not nearly so serious. The relief of the French civilians at the arrival of our troops was particularly manifest. The French colours were on many buildings beside British flags. As the sound of the guns receded more civilians made their ap- I pearance and fraternised with the troops passing through the town or camped nearby.” v '