ATTACK IN TUNISIA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25136, 29 January 1943, Page 3

ATTACK IN TUNISIA

AXIS ANNOUNCEMENT EFFORT TO STOP ROMMEL (Rec. 11.40 p.m.) LONDON, Jan. 28. According to Axis sources, the American Army concentrated in Western Tunisia has opened an offensive designed to force a passage through to the Mediterranean. The Americans attacked from around Tebessa, and their forward units made contact with the Axis outposts. Military observers say that the object of such an attack would be to drive a wedge between Rommel’s forces and the German Army concentrated in Eastern Tunisia. The latest news from Allied headquarters slates that the American forces are consolidated the positions they regained in the Ousseltia Valley and the mountains west of it. Allies at Disadvantage The Tunisia correspondent of The Times says our First and Eighth Armies- now find themselves jointly engaged in the same operations. This for the moment is likely to be disadvantageous, because the length of our communications will remain enormous even when Tripoli is again operating, whereas the elimination of the long supply line from Tunis and Susa to Tripoli has greatly eased the German supply problem. The German forces are more compactly grouped. The strain on the First Army is likely to be severe until the Eighth Army is able to give closer support. The Germans retain the majority of the Tunisian aerodromes, and are able at short notice to transfer fresh squadrons from Sicily. The Algiers correspondent of the Daily Telegraph earlier reported that the Germans, after five days’ bitter fighting, widened their original 33mile bottleneck between Pont du Fahs and the coast into a 45-mile strip. “ This.” he added, “ will be the corridor through which Rommel hopes to bring his harried troops to temporary sanctuary.” According to an earlier agency report, Amei'ican troops are operating east and north-east of Ousseltia in a region about 40 miles west of the Gulf of Hammamet. Weather Handicaps The weather in Tunisia remains atrocious, said an R.A.F. spokesman. There is now 12 inches of slime on the ground, which is impeding almost all movement. Spasmodic rain is likely to continue until the end of February, but from now on the spells grow less frequent, and effective operations should be able to be resumed shortly. The change will greatly affect the work of the R.A.F., but the nature of the campaign will necessitate the closest co-operation of the land, sea, and air forces. In spite of the weather handicaps, the success of the naval and air attacks on enemy shipping and on Sicily and Tunisia has been highly significant. The enemy has undoubtedly received far fewer reinforcements and smaller supplies than was anticipated. The Tunis and Bizerta harbours have also been heavily bombed, especially by Flying Fortresses, but the enemy has not been stopped from working them. It is a slow process to put a military port entirely out of action.