DIFFICULT TASK

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 January 1943, Page 3

DIFFICULT TASK

FACED IN TUNISIA COUNTRY BOGGED BY RAIN. CORRESPONDENT’S IMPRESSIONS. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.30 a.m.) LONDON, January 5. The first stalemate of Hitler’s determination to hold the Mediterranean has turned the Tunisian war into a major effort,- with thousands of Germans and Italians employed from Bizerta to the Tripolitanian border, together with part of the first line strength of the Luftwaffe. This is the conclusion of an Associated Press correspondent at Allied headquarters in North Africa, based on a 2,100 miles trip along the war front in a jeep, and another 700 miles in a flying fortress. His main impressions were: Firstly, rain and the constant threat of rain make Allied tank warfare impossible in Northern Tunisia until late in February. There are five main roads leading into Tunis and Bizerta, and the ground between them is nothing but muck, which would bog the lightest tank; secondly, the Germans, with short lines of communication, perimeter defences at two ports, and a great concentration of artillery and Luftwaffe protection from Sardinia and Sicily, could halt any infantry assault with murderous losses; thirdly, in the north, land warfare is stagnant, with heither side able to take a definite initiative; fourthly, despite the advantage of established bases within easy reach of the front from Sicily and Sardinia, the Luftwaffe is losing its punch in face of Alied opposition. It is only a shadow of the terrible weapon it was in France and Greece; fifthly, lack of airfields is handicapping the Allied air effort, but the R.A.F. and the United States Army Air Force are dealing out punishment which is nine or ten times more effective, from a military viewpoint, than the Luftwaffe’s blows; sixthly, French troops, with a totgl disregard for politics and antiquated equipment, are fighting with great gallantry, particularly at Pont Du Fahs and southwards, in the winding, irregular line through the mountains to Gasfa; seventhly, the Germans are making great preparations for the defence of Tunisia.

The great Tunisian plateaus in dry weather provide hundreds of flying fields for the asking, but now fields must be created witn thousands of tons of wire netting,. brought hundreds of miles by lorry. However, the Allied bomber attack has been one of the most consistent of the war. The Allies have dropped forty bombs for every four of the Germans. This ratio is increasing, and, when it can be co-ordinated with tank attack, it/will be the deciding factor. General Nehring recognises this, and is conserving his planes. It is estimated that he has about 1000 in the Mediterranean basin, and that any attack will be preceded by a violent air battle. The quality of prisoners dispels any doubt that Hitler intends to hold the bottleneck between Tunisia and Sicily. They are crack airmen from Western Europe, Norway and the Russian front, some of whom are wearing the insignia for 100 operational flights.