Marching to Tunisia

Timaru Herald, Volume CLIII, Issue 22490, 27 January 1943, Page 5

Marching to Tunisia

Progress of Eighth Army Enemy Expecting a Triple Blow By Telegraph—New Zealand Press Association—Copyright (Receved 11 p.m.) LONDON, January 26. THE BRITISH Eighth Army has occupied Zauia, 25 * miles west of Tripoli. Axis propaganda sources suggest that the Allies are preparing a triple blow against the Axis bridgehead in Tunisia. The Berlin radio reports that the Eighth Army is using many tanks and again attempting an outflanking movement against Rommel’s withdrawing forces. American forces are concentrating south-west of Debessa, with the apparent intention of attempting to reach the coast between Gabes and Sfax. The Fifteenth Panzer Division is still operating south of the coast road, but we are gradually pushing them out toward the north, a Cairo correspondent reports. Indications are that Rommel, who seems to have an inexhaustible quantity of mines, is still heavily mining the road communications, but he must now find greater difficulty in receiving supplies as practically all must come from Susa, Bizerta and a smaller amount from Tunis. He can still use Zuara, but the capacity of the port is small. The Berlin radio for the first time admits that the Allied operations caused Rommel’s downfall. It states that the British and American invasion of French North Africa necessitated using a plan drawn up some time ago to evacuate Tripoli and withdraw the Italian and German forces to the Tunisian frontier because they could not be supplied by the long distance land route from Tunis. The Italians and Germans had to build up a defensive line with the concentration of all available forces. The Allied control of Tunis and Bizerta would have constituted a mortal peril for the Axis tank army and would have opened a passage through the Strait of Sicily to the British fleet and made it impossible to supply the Axis forces by sea. The present Axis positions in Tunisia split the Mediterranean into two parts and prevented direct sea communications to the Eighth Army.

While British troops are still advancing toward the west, Rommel's main troops have probably already reached the Mareth Line area around Ben Gardane and covering positions around Medenin. states a correspondent at Cairo. Rommel has left behind only a strong rearguard to hinder the advance of the British, who are in constant contact, while we are also advancing inland. Although Rommel will probably attempt to reinforce the positions he has reached he will need to rest, his men after their retreat of 1600 miles.

Aerial Sweeps On Saturday night light bombers attacked landing grounds and started fires at Medenln. Dispersed vehicles in the frontier area were also successfully attacked. Palermo harbour was bombed the same night, fires being started. Two south-bound enemy merchantmen were torpedoed and set on fire by our aircraft north of Sicily. One broke in two after an explosion and the other was left burning furiously. One of the escorting destroyers also received a direct bomb hit. Extensive intruder operations continued against shipping off Cape Bon and Pantellaria. Allied fighter-bombers attacked various targets on the south coast of Sicily and hits were scored on railway tracks and buildings. Fighters made many sweeps in sup - port of the ground forces in Tunisia On Saturday night bombers attacked the docks at Bizerta and vehicles on the roads eastward of Kairouan Yesterday the harbour of Susa and the airfield near Medenin were bombed At least one ship was hit, and damage was done to an airfield. One enemy fighter was destroyed. One of ours is missing.

Malta celebrated the fall of Tripoli with processions throughout the streets. The fall of Tripoli apparently has done the Maltese more good than anything since the furious attack on the island was broken last year. Tunisian Front The news from Tunisia, according to “The Times,” suggests an improvement. “The resistance to the strong pressure by General von Arnim’s armoured forces in central Tunisia seems to be increasing, through the Germans have made unwelcome gains,” it states. "The enemy reports a large American concentration at Tebassa which is suggestive of an impending counter-attack.” “Tlie Times” adds that LieutenantGeneral Eisenhower must possess considerable American forces which have not yet been heavily engaged, but it points out that a general assault is dependent on an improvement in the weather, which is unlikely for some weeks. Allied Force headquarters in North Africa state: “The enemy advance in the Ousseltia valley has been stopped Our forces patrolled north from Ousseltia. A raid by American troops on Maknassy resulted in the capture of 80 enemy prisoners, while 50 prisoners were captured in the British sector. Declaring that air power could win this war, Air Marshal R. M. Drummond, interviewed by the Cairo correspondetn of the “Daily Mail,” pointed out that the Allies now had a giant aerodrome nearly 1500 miles long south of Europe. “England has been truly called the aircraft-carrier of Europe. Let uh fill them both with as many planes as they need to attack the enemy at every source of his strength.”