EIGHTH ARMY PURSUING ROMMEL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 January 1943, Page 3

EIGHTH ARMY PURSUING ROMMEL

Towards the Tunisian Frontier AIR ATTACKS FROM WEST AND EAST ON RETREATING ENEMY HEAVY BLOWS STRUCK AT BIZERTA AND AT AXIS SEA COMMUNICATIONS LONDON, January 24. The pursuit of Rommel’s forces by the Eighth Army, foL lowing the fall of Tripoli, brings the British forces nearer and nearer to the Tunisian border. The retreating Axis columns are already being attacked by Allied aircraft based in Tunisia, as well as those from Libya. British tanks rumbled into Tripoli at dawn yesterday to find that almost all the enemy units had already fled. The population (about 60,000, mostly Arabs, Italians and Jews) are reported to be calm. Other British tanks are racing across country from Azisia, 30 miles south of the city, to cut the coast road to Zuara—Rommel’s one line of escape to Tunisia. Reuter’s Cairo correspondent says that Tripoli fell to parallel thrusts along a 60-mile front by three columns, consisting of some of the Eighth Army’s most famous units. Rommel tried to hold up the British columns by extensive demolitions on the coast road, and he also threw a small panzer force against the British units south of the city, but he failed dismally. Rommel-misjudged the pace of the latest British advance, as he misjudged General Montgomery’s armoured strength at El Alamein. The Secretary for War, Sir James Grigg, in a broadcast, said: “To all intents and purposes the fall of Tripoli completes the destruction of the Italian Empire in Africa. Both the British and Russian armies have had dark days of retreat, but we believe that for both the tide has now firmly turned. Both will bear their due share in the annihilation of the blatant Axis beast.’’ VAIN ENEMY REARGUARD EFFORTS While the Eighth Army is approaching the Tunisian frontier, in spite of enemy rearguard attempts to slow up the chase, the main news from North Africa is of widespread Allied air attacks. Allied fighters and fighter-bombers are taking a heavy toll of the retreating Axis forces. One of the last airfields still held by the enemy, in Southern Tunisia, 30 miles south of Gabes, was attacked by Allied planes, fires being started. . 19 AXIS FIGHTERS SHOT DOWN In Northern Tunisia, Bizerta was heavily attacked yesterday in daylight by American heavy bombers. Axis fighters attempted to intercept the bombers and nineteen were shot down, without a single American bomber being lost. At least one ship in the harbour was sunk. Now that Tripoli has fallen, Bizerta is more vital than ever to the Axis as a supply base. Still more aircraft are sweeping the Axis sea lanes and every Axis ship, seen is attacked. Enemy forces in Central Tunisia are still making strong efforts to widen the corridor between the coast and the Allied forces. One report states that 17 Axis tanks were destroyed by the French Camel Corps in Southern Tunisia.