ENEMY WITHDRAWAL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 38, 16 February 1943, Page 5

ENEMY WITHDRAWAL

MADE UNDER PRESSURE OF EIGHTH ARMY (Reed. 10.15 p.m.) London, Feb. 14. “The enemy’s withdrawal to Bengardane was definitely made under pressure of our forward troops,” says Reuter’s Cairo correspondent. “The scale o£ the fighting in thii area is not considerable but the moveconstitutes a real push along uie road to Bengardane by our columns. Tne coastal sector movement was carried out in rather better weather, but the elements are still a hindrance to our advance. Tne Eighth Army’s advance inland is marking time, but patrols are still operating from the advanced lines.” The German radio says observation from air and ground confirmed that tho Eighth Army was again attempting to outflank the German-Italian rearguard positions irom the south. The German news agency says that Axis advance guards captured a group of British and American staff officers who were overtaken ui u<u....ess inspecting the delences. Reuters correspondent with the First Army says the Germans are conscripting Arabs for front-line lighting. Some, dressed in German unuorms, have been taken prisoner. The Germans seem to trust the Arabs more than conscripts Irom conquered European countries. Poles are used as the sappers precede tanks and infantry in search for mines, whereas Arabs who have been taken prisoner were used for night patrols and laying mines.

The New York Times' Tunisian correspondent says:—"Hitler cannot afford to lose one battle in Tunisia. The corridor that Rommel holds is so narrow that the loss of one battle would split the Germans' forces, but despite this and the Russian defeats Hitler is still pushing infantry Irom Europe into Tunisia by plane and ship. It is obvious the North African campaign is becoming a show-down rather than a side-show preparatory to a European invasion.”

Although the Allied Air Forces are able to strike Axis bases harder than they can hit ours, the Germans are still maintaining local air superiority, somehow compensating for lack in numbers by quality. On the other hand, the illusion ot the superiority o£ the German tanks was definitely shattered when the excellent British artillery easily knocked out several of Rommel's giant tanks. It is estimated that the Germans have 90,000 troops in North Tunisia and 75.000 in SouthTunisia, and also 450 planes, most of which are fighters.