Gigantic Muddle Lad To Axis Collapse

Northern Advocate, 18 May 1943, Page 3

Gigantic Muddle Lad To Axis Collapse

(Rec. 1 p.m.) LONDON, May 17. Marshal Messe arrived in Britain by plane, accompanied by other highranking Italian prisoners. The final list of generals captured in Tunisia, names 16 Germans and 10 Italians. The names of six more generals not previously announced are MajorGenerals Koechy and Radinger (German), General Belletti, and Divisional Generals Berrade and Gelich (Italian). The truth about the Axis collapse in Tunisia is out at last, says the “Daily Mail’s” Tunis correspondent. It is one of gigantic muddle. What precipitated the muddle was unbelieveable bursts of speed by the British down Medjerda Valley to Tunis, also through Hammamlif to Cape Bon Peninsula. The Axis forces were split in tiwain. One captured general paid tribute to the British armoured forces. He said: “I did not conceive that an armoured division could move so fast.” After the Hammamlif break-through the whole Axis position automatically collapsed. Most Axis troops on Cape Bon Peninsula were not fighting troops. The entire Axis system of communications broke down. It was not a coherent army any more. It simply fell apart. The only forces which got away in an organised manner were Luftwaffe personnel. It all adds up to muddle on a gigantic scale, and, if it can happen in Tunisia, it can happen elsewhere.