HARD GOING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 December 1942, Page 3

HARD GOING

FOR TROOPS OF EIGHTH ARMY ROMMEL’S EFFORT TO HOLD TRIPOLI. BEARING ON CAMPAIGN IN TUNISIA. (By Telegraph—-Press Association— Copyright) LONDON, December 17. The members of the Eighth Army are having a trying time. They drive on all day with only a midday halt for a jug of tea and the inevitable bully beef. With darkness, the troops put down their blankets alongside the trucks and tanks, arid then mlove bn again at dawn, mostly unshaven and unwashed. In Tunisia, correspondents at the Allied headquarters report, the Germans do not appear to have made any further attempt to close in on Mejez el Bab. Our patrols report that the Tebourba road and the main eastern road to Tunis are free of Germans for several miles. Drier weather has given the engineers a chance to repair the roads and enable the transport to move more freely. “Rommel’s main objective at present is to deny the use of Tripoli,” says the Cairo correspondent of “The Times.” “The port is of no use to him, because the Allied air forces and navy have rendered it unusable and also prevented convoys from reaching there. Rommel, however, realised that our capture of Tripoli would enable us to ensure adequate aerial protection and would considerably assist us in what has now become the vital theatre ' of war in North Africa—the Tunis sector, where, in the last resort, the fate of the German hold on Africa will be settled.”

GOOD WORK

■ DONE BY BRITISH PATROLS JN TUNISIA. TOLL TAKEN OF ITALIANS. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.10 a.m,) RUGBY, December 17. A correspondent with the Allied advanced forces in Tunisia says British offensive patrols in the Mateur area are continually harassing the enemy on the roads approaching the town. Parties march across the hills and ambush enemy patrols. They shoot up armoured cars and transport, often using machine-guns just captured from the Italians, who are predominant in this area and have almost abandoned the use of the roads at night. British patrols cover many miles each night, leturning in the morning, usually bunging in captured cars and prisoners.

INTENSE ACTIVITY

ALLIED AIR FORCES BUSY. IN LIBYA AND TUNISIA. _ (British Official Wireless.) . (Received This Day, 10.10 a.m.) RUGBY, December 17. A Cairo communique states: “Following upon a night of intense ground strafing, our bombers and fighterbombers yesterday continued to attack the retreating enemy. Good targets m the Nofilia area were bombed with excellent results“Docks at Tunis and La Goulette were again heavily attacked by Allied bombers on Tuesday night. The raid lasted over eight hours, and hits were scored on oil stores, a depot, barracks and railway yards, causing large fires and violent explosions The canal linking Tunis with La Goulette,was partially blocked as a result of the attack “Two aircraft were shot down by long-range fighters off the coast yesterday . None of our aircraft are missing.”