TUNISIAN FRONT

Grey River Argus, 20 January 1943, Page 5

TUNISIAN FRONT

FRENCH SUCCESS IN CENTRE LONDON, Jan. 18. In Tunisia the main news is of local successes by the French forces north-west and south of Kairouan. In the northern sector Allied aircraft continue their attacks on Axis supply lines behind the front. Morocco radio reports that General le Clerc’s forces made contact with the French in South Tunisia. General le Clerc has already met General Montgomery. Allied Headquarters in North Africa report attacks by Allied fight-er-bombers on railway installations between Medjez el Bab and Terburba. On Friday night enemy troops were bombed and machine-gunned on the road to Sfax. Enemy communications were attacked by Kittyhawks and Lightnings. Two enemj' planes attempted to attack an Allied base, but were shot down by anti-aircraft fire. All the Allied planes returned. It is announced that three additional enemy bombers were shot down on Friday. SUBMARINES TORPEDO ENEMY SHIPS. LONDON, Jan. 18. The Admiralty reports that a submarine scored two torpedo hits on a large enemy supply ship which drove ashore in the Gulf of Genoa. A med-ium-sized enemy supplj' ship was sunk off Sardinia, was fully laden, and under the escort of an Italian naval vessel. Another medium-sized supplj' ship was hit by gunfire. Some of the crew promptly abandoned the ship. After shelling the ship ran ashore and despite the intervention of shore batteries, she was then torpedoed and seen to break in two. A goods train near Paolo on Western Calabrian coast of Italy was bombarded, many hits being scored. Ma-chine-gun batteries on shore ineffectively engaged the submarine. The train was seen still burning threequarters of an hour later. Italian Baby Submarines COUP IN ALGIERS HARBOUR TORPEDOING OF FOUR SHIPS CLAIMED. LONDON', Jan. 18. The Italians claim to have made a successful attack on Allied shipping in Algiers harbour, with a new type of baby submarine assault boat. An Italian communique issued at Rome states: Our assault units on the night of January 12 penetrated Algiers harbour, and badly damaged a cruiser, sank two large steamers and left another large steamer listing. Despite a violent enemy counter-at-tack. nearly all the assault force returned safely. The Rome radio says: The new assault. boat is shaped like a torpedo, end manned by a crew of two, both under 30 years. Power is derived from an engine, the hum of which is so low it is practically unrecognisable bj' the mosX sensitive hydrophone. When the submarines forced the harbour entrance the crews placed explosives near the most vulnerable parts of the ships. The “Daily Express” says: The Italians named these baby submarines Grillo Two. The first time they were tried out was in October. 1940. against Gibraltar. They hit nothing. In July, 1941 they tried to get into Valetta Harbour but gunfire from the shore blew uu the lot. Axis Supply Ship SUNK BY DESTROYER. [British Official Wireffiscl. (Rec. 11.25) RUGBY, Jan. 19. A News Agency correspondent at Algiers states: A British destroyer operating against Axis supply lines between Sardinia and Tunisia, sank an enemy ship of about three thousand tons on Sunday night. No casualties or damage were sustained bv the destroyer. (Rec. 12.40.) LONDON, Jan. 19. At Algiers it has officially been stated that, a British destroyer operating between Sardinia and Tunisia sank a three-thousand-ton enemy supplj' ship on Sunday night, when the ship’s cargo exploded.