Wairarapa Times-Age THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1942. CLOSING ON THE AXIS.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 December 1942, Page 2

Wairarapa Times-Age THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1942. CLOSING ON THE AXIS.

(CORRESPOND ENTS in Tunisia, if was slated in a message from London yesterday, say that both sides an 1 building u]> supplies for the clash which must come soon. .It is not unreasonable to suppose that this development of strength is. being carried out much more effectively and with belter promise by the Allies than by their opponents. In spite ot heavy and destructive attacks on their sea and air supply lines, the Germans have contrived to establish in Tunisia a force which was able to defeat the initial Allied drive on Tunis and Bizerta, but it does not by any means follow that they will be able to hold out against the I'ull-powered attack the Allies are now organising.

The factor which turned the scale against the Allies in their initial, bid for the main Tunisian bases appears to have been, the enemy ’s monopoly, at that time, of airfields from which fighter, planes could operate over the battle, area. It may be taken for granted that the Allies are using all the resources at their command in establishing advanced air bases as speedily as possible and once these bases, are available the possibilities of concerted attack from east and west on the enemy’s African bridgehead no doubt will be exploited to the full. The victorious drive of the Eighth Army through Tripolitan ia, in which the already swift pace of Rommel’s retreat is being accelerated,” suggests, amongst other things, that the comparative lull obtaining at the moment in Tunisia .is likely to be of brief duration.

Although there is mountainous country in western Tripolitania and in northern Tunisia, round Bizerta, which lends itself to defence, t]ie whole of the eastern coast of Tunisia, south from Tunis, is Hat, with its rail, and road communications usually close to the sea. It seems improbable that the enemy will be able long to withstand such attacks as the Allies may be expected to launch as soon as provision has been made for adequate air support of their ground forces.

As swift a development as is practicable of the Allied campaign in North Africa obviously is made highly desirable by the remarkable success of the Russians in their winter offensive. On top of all that they had already accomplished, the Russians are now making rapid progress down the VoronezhRostov railway, which means that the threat to the vital communications of all the Axis forces in Southern Russia is beingextended and intensified. The enemy has failed in violent and desperate efforts to stem and repel one major move of the Red Army after another, and there is every indication that the Russians are prepared to select new points of attack as time goes on. No progress has been made by the Germans in repeated and costly attempts to relieve and extricate General von Iloth’s army, trapped in. the Don-Volga area, west of Stalingrad. With a vigorous and highly successful initiative beingexercised by the Russians, the enemy evidently is confronted by ever-increasing difficulties in his attempts to mass reserves wheile they are needed.

With affairs hi this state in Russia, a victorious Allied attack on the Axis bridgehead in Africa obviously would very valuably supplement and assist the achievements of the Red Army and contribute notably to the total Allied cause. With his foothold in Africa lost, the enemy at once would be faced by the necessity of making provision as far as possible against attack at any one of a great number of points along the exposed southern coast of Europe. How far lie is from being in a position to attempt that task hopefully is indicated in his present plight in Russia —one that has every appearance of becoming increasingly desperate.