American Troops Consolidate Gains In Hills Near Gafsa

Taranaki Daily News, 22 March 1943, Page 3

American Troops Consolidate Gains In Hills Near Gafsa

British Official Wireless.

Enemy artillery alone attempt to oppose Allied advance.

Rec. 11.5 p.m. . Rugby. March 20. "AMERICAN troops are now firmly established on a line running north and south for several miles east of Gafsa," says an agency correspondent. "The enemy has shown little inclination so far to hit back, though on Saturday he lobbed over a few shells towards E1 Guettar from his positions in the range of hills. lying to the north-east of that small town. American troops were then in these hills, which are about seven miles from E1 Guettar on the north side of the Gabes road, making contact with the enemy, who has a number of 88-millimetre guns which are used for shelling the road spasmodically. The roads still showed evidence of recent heavy falls of rain and in places were almost impassable to ordinary motor traffic.

Although the advance and the recapture of the ground lost a month ago was essentially an American effort, the correspondent says some British units have taken part including a famous Yeomanry regiment of armoured cars which has been in the forefront throughout the North African campaign. These troops have acted as scouts and they covered the flank during the capture of Gafsa. They continue to comb the hills to the east, keeping an eye on enemy patrols. The Americans continued to consolidate and improve their positions east of E1 Guettar. Patrols along the upper road pushed further beyond Zannuvh station and approached Sened station. Morocco radio says General Giraud, when visiting wounded at Algiers, said: "The Italians and Germans ran away quicker than they came. We are witnessing the beginning of an offensive which will, end in Berlin." , Algiers radio says the 8th Army gained some ground east of the Mareth Line aftec .a bayonet attack. 1 Berlin radio «ays^he"Mareth Line cannot be regarded as ranKproof: The defences were originally intended for Italian attacks from Tripolitania and are not up-to-date. Only a Few Shells Fired. Describing the capture of Gafsa, a war correspondent on the Tunisian front says that within a few minutes of the first American shells being fired the Germans began to evacuate the town. , The American attack began shortly after dawn, when artillery and bombers began to bombard the enemy positions at the north enti of the town. The Americans had moved up within a few miles of the town during the night. The attack caught the enemy completely by surprise.

Their batteries fired a few shells only in return. Bombers and fighters dived low over the olive groves on the east side of the town, where enemy troops were in position. The infantry began to advance on the town on the conclusion of the bombardment. They had to make their way through minefields the enemy had laid at all the approaches to the town. The sappers dug the mines out of the roadways but the enemy caused big craters tor be made in the main road by electrical mines. The first American troops entered the town shortly after midday. They were greeted by the native population, who stated that the whole enemy garrison had fled an hour before. The French column moving up from the south-west made contact with German reconnaissance units on the outskirts of Gafsa, but there was only a light brush. During the whole day there was no sign of enemy aircraft, though there were plenty of R.A.F. machines. Enemy Left Quickly. ^ The correspondent adds that the police chief said the enemy, who were largely Italians with a few hundred Germans, began to leave the town almost immediately after the opening of the bombardment, getting into lorries, while a few tanks covered the withdrawal. He said that during the stay the enemy looted the town and killed all of the cattle for meat. Most of the enemy made their way towards E1 Guettar about 14 miles to the south-east and were heavily shelled by our artillery on their way. The fact that the enemy did not defend Gafsa came as a surprise. The correspondent revealed that General Patton is commanding the American troops in Tunisia, which is General Alexander's command.