DOOMED TRIPOLI

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 January 1943, Page 3

DOOMED TRIPOLI

ENEMY PULLING OUT ALL * HE CAN BEFORE TOWN FALLS UNCEASING ALLIED AIR ATTACKS. ON AXIS PORT AND ROADS OF RETREAT. LONDON, January 22. British land forces are closing in round Tripoli. Correspondents say the enemy is trying to pull out everything he can from the town before it actually falls. Allied aircraft arc finding any number of good targets all over the place. Some air formations, including Flying Fortresses, have put down a bomb barrage on Tripoli Harbour to prevent the enemy escaping by sea. Squadrons of other aircraft are ranging up and down all the roads which the enemy still controls, starting fires among vehicles everywhere. Some pilots are hunting the enemy right over the border in Tunisia. Enemy air activity has not been on a big scale, but at least six enemy planes were shot down and many others damaged. U-BOAT SUNK. British light naval forces gave Tripoli Harbour a pounding from the sea yesterday and caught a damaged Italian U-boat off the coast. The submarine was promptly sunk. When sighted she was being towed by three tugs. These cast off the U-boat and beat a hasty retreat. They were pursued and one, after being repeatedly hit, was run ashore. On land yesterday, south of Tripoli, the enemy used some tanks in one or two attempts to hold up the sweeping advance of the Eighth Army. Correspondents say the tanks were brushed aside and British tanks pushed on to cut the coastal road. CASTEL BENITO ABANDONED. Fifteen miles to the south of Tripoli, the enemy have withdrawn from the very important airfield of Castcl Benito. R.A.F. fighter-bombers gave them a lively send-off. Swooping down on the airfield they destroyed some of the few remaining Axis aircraft on the ground and damaged others. AIR ACTION IN TUNISIA. In Central Tunisia the Allied land forces are getting more aircraft support in resisting the Axis threats. Allied planes are sweeping over the battle area and near Pont du Fahs, where the enemy has gained more ground, bombers attacked his forces. Other planes hit road communications behind the enemy’s lines. On Wednesday night and yesterday Axis targets at Pont du Fahs were also attacked. In an area a little further north, Allied troops in the last few days have destroyed 17 enemy tanks and shot down seven divebombers. THE LATEST FALL OF TRIPOLI VERY NEAR. OCCUPATION MAY ALREADY HAVE BEGUN. THE FOLLOWING ANNOUNCEMENT WAS BROADCAST BY THE 8.8. C. AT 1 P.M. TODAY (N.Z. TIMER—“TONIGHT THE FALL OF TRIPOLI IS VERY NEAR. AN AGENCY MESSAGE FROM CAIRO SAYS IT IS POSSIBLE THE OCCUPATION HAS ALREADY BEGUN.” SUBURBS ENTERED A LATE PRESS ASSOCIATION CABLEGRAM STATES THAT THE MOROCCO RADIO ANNOUNCED THAT THE EIGHTH ARMY HAD ENTERED THE SUBURBS OF TRIPOLI. FRENCH STAND AGAINST STRONG ENEMY ATTACKS. IN CENTRAL TUNISIA. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10 a.m.) RUGBY, January 22. While the Eighth Army has been covering the last few miles to Tripoli, with little or no opposition, French headquarters in North Africa report that strong enemy armoured forces are attacking French troops in Central Tunisia, in the area between 20 miles south-west of Tunis and 40 miles southwest of Kairouan. The French communique states: “The enemy resumed his attack southwest of Pont du Fahs, especially in. the direction south-west of Bouarada and on the mountain plateau of El Kebir, with support from strong forces and aircraft, but the enemy attempts were vain. Last night a strong attack, supported by fifty tanks, made progress at Aineldor, 30 miles west of Kairouan. It is now confirmed that in the. battle which has been in progress for the last three days the enemy is employing considerable forces. "Further south-west,” the French headquarters statement adds, “we captured; in a surprise attack, a height in the area of Fondouk and Laones. Our troops continued their pursuit and captured part of the garrison of Serdeles, which retreated some days ago.” DRIVEN BACK GERMANS IN CENTRAL TUNISIA. BRITISH TROOPS REINFORCE FRENCH. 4 LONDON, January 22. French troops in Central Tunisia have been reinforced by British troops. Fighting together, the Allied forces have driven the Germans back several miles. WESTWARD THRUST EFFECTIVE BLOWS STRUCK BY LAND & AIR. SUCCESSFUL ATTACKS ON AXIS SHIPS. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.40 a.m.) RUGBY, January 22. A Middle East communique states: "Yesterday our troops continued their thrust westwards and by the evening were engaging the enemy west o£ Homs and south of Tripoli. Operating on a large scale our fighter-bombers and fighters continued their attacks on the withdrawing enemy as far west as Ben Gardene (on the main coastal road, half-way between Tripoli and Gabes). Castel Benito aerodrome was successfully bombed from a low level and in an air combat three enemy fighters were shot down. In addition three German bombers were also destroyed. “On Wednesday night Allied bombers attacked enemy transport columns and started fires. Between Tripoli and Zuare fighters shot up the coastal road. Railway targets in Southern Sicily were and the Pantolla Island aerodrome was ma-chine-gunned. “Another Axis merchant vessel was sunk by our naval torpedo aircraft, off the Tunisian coast. A tanker was successfully attacked on the same night. Yesterday small enemy ships were attacked with good results between Sicily and the Tunisian coast. Fighters and bombers operated against an aerodrome and other targets in Sicily. Tripoli harbour was also attacked. Six of our aircraft ape.missing.’’

AXIS ATTEMPT TO PLOUGH CASTEL BENITO AERODROME. INTERRUPTED BY ALLIED BOMBERS. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.30 a.m.) RUGBY, January 22. Allied air forces from Malta, Tunisia and Tripolitania are hammering Rommel’s withdrawing forces. The ploughing -of//the Castel Benito aerodrome was interrupted by an air attack and all the ploughs were put out of action. The ploughing is further confirmation that Rommel does not intend moi e than delaying action. MAGNIFICENT WORK DONE BY R.A.F. GROUND PARTIES. IN PREPARING FORWARD LANDING GROUNDS. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.30 a.m.) RUGBY, January 22. Moving up almost in sight of enemy ground parties' British advanced fighter units in Tripolitania are doing magnificent work in preparing new landing-grounds. Never, in the last few days of the advance in Tripoli, has the Eighth Army been without the co-operation of forward squadrons, and this is almost entirely due to the R.A.F. mobile columns, who strike forward to take ovei’ enemy evacuated airfields, and in some cases have created a new landing ground out of a tract of scrub. One example was the way in which Allied fighters were enabled to operate from landing grounds in the Bir Dufan area, within 100 flying miles of Tripoli. Aircraft and the key personnel of a complete fighter formation, which includes an American pursuit group, were brought forward 140 miles in one hop. One landing-ground 1,200 yards square was serviceable in three hours after advance ground parties had selected its site. MUCH DAMAGE DONE IN ALLIED AIR ATTACKS. CARGO SHIP SUNK. (Received This Day. Noon.) LONDON, January 22. A North Africa Allied communique states: “Minor engagements have continued in the Bouarada-Goubellat area. Our troops in this area in the past few days have destroyed seventeen tanks and. shot down seven Junkers, planes. Bostons bombed the enemy advance from Pont du Fahs, threatening Ousseltia, and War Hawks and Spitfires made sweeps over the fighting areas. One Focke Wulf was destroyed. Bombers and Lightning fighters made sweeps over the sea between Tunisia and Sicily, in the course of which a freighter was bombed and sunk. Eight enemy planes were shot down. Lightnings twice attacked a road between Gabes and the Tripolitanian frontier, destroying many vehicles. Two enemy fighters were also shot down. From all operations, three of our aircraft are missing. Last night five enemy bombers attempting to attack our bases were destroyed. It is now known that a third enemy bomber was destroyed on Wednesday night.

OPINION IN LONDON POWER OF THE EIGHTH ARMY. ROMMEL’S SUPPOSED AIMS. (British Official Wireless.)' (Received This Day, 10 a.m.) RUGBY, January 22. The general London opinion on Rommel’s retreat is expressed by “The Times,” which writes: "It has long appeared probable that the enemy is making for Southern' Tunisia, imposing as much delay upon the Eighth Army' as he safely could without risking a major engagement. Of late perhaps the need to get to his battle station has loomed larger in the estimation of Rommel than the aim of [hampering General Montgomery. The Mareth Line is thus brought back into the picture after a long period of oblivion. It was originally a respectable fortification, 80 miles west of the Libyan frontier, blocking the plain through which the coast road runs. Its right, flank lay upon wooded heights, along which it probably extended in skeleton form, but the- zone was demilitarised in 1940 and the fortifications were to be dismantled. Exactly what resulted is not known. In any case the line was not built to withstand the weight of metal General Montgomery can bring; against it. Strong defences exist in the neighbourhood of Gabes and whether or not Rommel hopes to keep that port open, it seems highly desirable, from the point of view of the Axis, that he should try to keep Sfax and Sousse in use. Rommel is already being supplied through Tunisian ports. If he falls back upon them, the whole Axis force in North Africa will be concentrated for the defence of two fronts, and, if strong enough, to strike out in either direction. On the other hand, Tripoli will have passed to the Eighth Army, which is moving heavier forces towards the scene of action than those at the disposal of the United Nations in Tunisia. The organisation of its communications has been so masterly that there is likely to be no very long delay before it is in a position to exert its full weight. Then, having driven the Italian out of North Africa, it will be ready to play its part in a further campaign.” U=BOAT SUNK BY LIGHT NAVAL FORCES. DURING ATTACK ON TRIPOLI HARBOUR. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.0 a.m.) RUGBY, January 22. The Admiralty states: “During successful operations by our light coastal forces off Tripoli on Tuesday night an Italian U-boat was sunk. “While our forces were approaching the harbour, shortly before midnight, the U-boat was sighted on the surface, in company with three tugs. The tugs cast off, abandoning the U-boat, which was immediately destroy-] ed. One tug was set on fire and driven ashore. The fate of the others, which were | frequently hit, is not known, as they es-. caped in the darkness. “Our forces proceeded to press home an attack on harbour works. They came under heavy but ineffectual gunfire from the harbour defences. Superficial damage was suffered and two men were wounded.”