HOLDING ON STRONGLY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 40, 18 February 1943, Page 5

HOLDING ON STRONGLY

AMERICANS CHECK GERMANS

(Recd. 6 p.m.) London, Feb. 16. Algiers radio declared that there was no need for pessimism. The Americans are putting up a stubborn resistance against the Axis thrust, the main aim of which is to prevent the Fjrst and Eighth Armies from joining.

Reuter’s Algiers correspondent states that German panzers moved into Gafsa last night when it was evacuated after the German thrust from the direction of Sened threatened to isolate it.

The two-pronged German thrust which reached 18 miles west of Faid Pass yesterday ran into an American counter-attack which threw it back six miles after fierce and bloody fighting. Dive-bombers heavily supporting the German advance caused a large proportion of the American casualties. Fighting is continuing mi the area south of the Faid-Sbeitla road where the Germans are being held in check.- The situation is regarded as fairly satisfactory, and it is believed that the Americans in this engagement inflicted severe losses on the enemy troops. The enemy is in some force at Kebili. South-west of Gafsa the Americans are still holding Tozeur, but their position appears to be difficult to maintain.

While Algiers radio late this evening stated that heavy fighting was continuing in the Faid sector, Berlin radio, an hour later, claimed that a local operation in southern Tunisia had temporarily concluded, with the mopping-up of the extensive battlefields around Faid. The radio proceeded: “The setback suffered by the Second American Tank Corps is far heavier, according to the latest reports. than has thus far been assumed. To avoid encirclement the Americans, after hard lighting, were forced to evacuate Gafsa, which was the basis of their right wing. Italian troops passed through Gafsa to the westward and south-westward, without encountering serious resistance.

“The capture of Gafsa without a fight was the result of successful powerful thrusts carried out by special Axis forces west of Faid. Strong American armoured forces had attempted, by several relief operations, to regain Sidi Bouseid and another important road junction in order to remove this threat against Gafsa. but the attempts collapsed with heavy losses under the fire of the German and Italian defence.”