RAPID PROGRESS BY EIGHTH ARMY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 January 1943, Page 3

RAPID PROGRESS BY EIGHTH ARMY

On Broad Front Extending Far Inland .z HEAVY AND PERSISTENT AIR ATTACKS ON RETREATING ENEMY FORCES AND SUPPLY ROUTES LONDON, January 18. General Montgomery’s Eighth Army is driving forward in Tripolitania and is in contact with the enemy rearguard along a front of 60 to 70 miles. Tonight the British forces were 25 miles south of Misurata and their southern flank was within 100 miles north-west of Buerat, from which locality the latest offensive was launched last Friday. More Axis prisoners have been taken, indicating that there has been some action at close quarters. Correspondents state that in the opening* stages the British casualties seem to have been light. Fighting is now taking place wholly in hilly country, in which the enemy cannot easily disperse his transport to get out of the way of air attack. Fighter-bombers have been out from dawn to dusk, hitting hard at enemy tanks and motor transport. All through the day and on Saturday night, targets along the coastal roads of both Tripolitania and Tunisia, well back behind the battle area, were constantly under attack by Allied aircraft. Tripoli is being bombed by day and night and can be of little use to Rommel as a supply base. It has been one of the busiest 24 hours in the air since the Middle East war started and the cost of these operations was only five aircraft. Four out of six German planes which tried to raid Tobruk on Saturday night were brought down. BAD WEATHER IN TUNISIA Bad weather is still holding up operations in Tunisia on land and in the air. There was little air activity yesterday, but enemy road and rail communications leading' from the Axis supply ports were attacked.. Between the African coast and Sicily, Lightning fighters shot down two German transport planes, besides a bomber. Two Allied planes are missing. Intruder aircraft from the Middle East attacked enemy transport between Sfax and Tripoli. On the southern front, French troops have improved their positions and have repelled an Axis attack. The United States Twelfth Air Force has destroyed 194 Axis aircraft from the beginning of the North African campaign up to last Friday. Ninety-seven American aircraft were lost.