BORDER FIGHTING

Grey River Argus, 11 February 1943, Page 1

BORDER FIGHTING

IN TUNISIA Eighth Army Crosses In LONDON, Feb. 9. An Allied Force Command Post in North Africa states: There is nothing to report from the land forces on the Tunisian front. Patrols of the Eighth Army have crossed into Tunisia on the coastal sector. This means that Brit.sh forces are now operating on Tunisian territory along practically the whole n out. Tanks, guns, motorised transport, and other supplies of General Montgomery’s Eighth Army me railing up in preparation for the entry of the Eighth Army into Tunisia. Patiols are moving forward at the rate of six miles a day. Vichy radio reported that the Eighth’ Army has launched a largescale attack with the object of cutting off Marshal Von Rommel’s forces in Tun.sia from the sea ; Morocco radio says that the Eighth Army has completed its mopping-up in Tripolitania and no Italians or Germans are left inside the border. “Yesterday our patrol activ.-ty continued in the Tunisian border area/’ says a Brit.sh Cairo commun que. “Theie were artillery exchanges in the northern sector. Air activity in the frontier area was on a small scale.” Minor artillery duels in the northern sector and patrol activity along the Tunisian border by forward elements of the Eighth Army, says a Cairo message were' the main operations yesterday. Tnere were no large-scale operations in the frontier area. Allied communiques stated -that heavy bombers raided the clocks at Susa’ and two ships were hit. Many bursts were seen on the quays and on a . seaplane base. Medium bombers attacked the Gabes aerodrome, causing tires among build.ngs and grounded airciaft. There Avas strong opposition from enemy lighters, IS of which were shot down. Five of ours were lost. Light bombers and fight-er-bombers attacked enemy troops and vehicles without loss. No opposition was encountered from enemy fighters. On the night of February 7/8 an enemy merchant vessel was hit and badly damaged by a torpedp aircraft north of S.cily. At Messina, in Sicily, a train ferry was heavily bombed in daylight yesterday. An enemy fighter attempted to intercept and was shot down. Two of our aircraft are missing. Australian and Royal Air Force pilots attacked Bugm and well-dis-persed motor transports west of Ben Gardane. Two enemy fighters tried to intercept and a small but indecisive combat lesulted. Later in the day fighters attacked four J.U. 87’s, forcing them to drop their bombs in an area where there were no troops. One enemy machine was badly damaged by ground fire. Two merchant vessels were attacked by torpedo aircraft north of Sicily on Sunaay night. The larger of the two, which attempted to conceal itself behind a smoke screen, was hit astern by a torpedo. During a recent patroi in the Mediterranean, a British submarine sank .two south-bound schooners by gunfire close to the Italian coast. One was carrying ammunition. Later the same day the submarine sank a 2,500-ton motor vessel, and a 700-ton. steamer following astern was destroyed by gunfire. The correspondent, of the Columbia Broadcasting System at Algiers says that dur.ng the first three months of the operations in North Africa, 607 enemy ’planes were destroyed for an Allied loss of 250 ’planes. Afrika Korps ALL IN TUNISIA. FIGHTING BACK ON NORTH OF FRONTIER. EIGHTH ARMY’S HARDER GOING. (Rec. 8.40.) . LONDON. February 9. Reuter’s correspondent with the Eighth Army says:-— The last stragglers of Marshal von Rommel’s army have now been driven from Tripolitania. There is a fierce wind sweeping in from the Gulf of Sirte. It is making hard going for convoy drivers that are bringing up supplies for the Eighth Army. Inland, discomforts from a sandstorm have been increased by thin cold rain. Conditions on the southern sector are improving. British patrols penetrating Tunisia are finding the going better. The enemy has been fighting back along most of the front. Particularly is he doing so in the sector between the sea and a line of great hills running parra I lei to the sorth-westerly sweep of the coast. The men are now drawing better rations than during 'the desert pursuit.