THREE ZED WADIS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24531, 13 March 1943, Page 7

THREE ZED WADIS

TUNISIAN BARRIERS FORMIDABLE DEFENCES MELBOURNE, March 10 Units of a famous British infantry division have solved the first part of the problem of three "zed" wadis their forward patrols have crossed the first of the wadis Zessar, Zesuss and Zigzau, which form a natural harrier in front of the coastal sector of the Mareth Line, writes the war correspondent of the Melbourne Herald with the Eighth Army. Their advanced groups are only live miles from the Mareth Line itself, and 27 miles from Gabes. The crossing ol the first wadi, however, has not greatly lessened the difficulties 1 before (he Allied troops east of the towns of Arm in and Mareth. Their first taste of the formidable defences—natural and man-made —before the enemy's main line has shown them just what tough and wearing work lies ahead. They told me of 15-feet sheer sides along the Wadi Zessar; of almost impassable bogs and marshes at its seaward end; of the Germans' heavy artillery cover; of the few possible crossings; of problems which the Allied motor transport must face; and of the mines laid with unslackening industry and cunning. Tough Propositions Progress in this sector, where the desert troops have returned to sand dunes of scrub after the palms and cultivated fields of western Tripolitama may, at present, be slow and steady, rather than spectacular. The Wadi Zesuss is the next obstacle. and it has all the triekiness of the Wadi Zessar, plus the menace of fairiy strong enemv positions on rising ground just behind it. These positions are heavily mined and will be temporarily embarrassing. The Wadi Zigzau, which practically follows the lino of the Mareth defences proper, is the toughest proposition of all. Where its cliffs are not sheer and impassable for vehicles, it has deep antitank ditches covered liberally with guns and laced with traps. That wa.s the position before these infantrymen when I visited their lines. It was not a conspicuously cheerful outlook, but the men were not concerned about it. They had run through "the battle alphabet" from F.I Alamein, and these wadis were not going to hold them up long now. Anyway, that is how they felt. Old French Defence Plan The Mareth Line was built by the French when their leaders were suffering from "a Maginot Line mentality," writes William Monday, Sydney Morning Herald war correspondent with the Eighth Army. It was meant to safeguard the French Empire in North Africa from any enemy who tried to grab Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco by an attack from Libya. The line took three years to make, and was finished in 103. 'lwentv-five miles long, it follows the line of Wadi Zigzau, which splits the coastal plain about half-way between Gabes and Modenine. and blocks the bottleneck between the sprawling Matmata Mountains in the south, and the sea. Between the line and the Libyan frontier, outposts were built to block the approach to the line positions and foothills. The first was Ben Gardane. -to miles east of Modenine. a defended township and headquarters of French customs officials, where four concreted company strongholds commanded the main roads converging here. The second was Tatawan. 30 miles south of Modenine, wheie the roads were covered by three strongpoints of about company strength built into encircling hills.

Road Junction Medenine. military capital of southeastern Tunisia, was the third. All tho important roads of south-eastern Tunisia which meet here were similarly defended, but Medenine was intended mainly to be a lyi.se for mobile counterattack The French proposed to hold the Mareth Line from the sea to Six Touati, where Wadi Zig/.au ends and the hills begin, with two infantry divisions. These manned the pillboxes, in the hills there was to be another infantry division, the greater part of which was designed for counter-attack movements, the remainder manning the bill strongpoints. Ben Gardane and Tatawnn were each to be garrisoned by a battalion. A cavalry division, twothirds of which would have been operating forward, was to be based on Medenine. REPULSE IN NORTH HELP FROM SPITFIRES LONDON, March 31 Giving details of the First Army's repulse of the enemy attack on Wednesday west of Sed Jenane. the United Press correspondent at Algiers says the Axis attack was launched six miles from Sed Jenane and three miles northeast of Tamcra. The enemy threw in four infantry battalions supported by artillery and dive-bombers. The First Army held the drive and then counterattacked and drove the enemy back. Spitfires helped to break the drive against Sed Jenane. Royal Air Force pilots swept along the Jefna-Sed Jenane road and destroyed several staff cars and lorries and silenced gun positions. Formations of heavy bombers attacked enemy airfields. At El Aguina aircraft on the ground were hit and fires were left burning. Eight enemy fighters were shot down during these attacks. Medium bombers attacked Gafsa. where many hits were seen on the target. Our fighters carried out offensive sweeps in the northern sector during the day, in the course of which enemy vehicles, troops and gun positions were attacked. Sweeps were also flown in the central sector. One of our aircraft is missing from all these operat ions.