DAMAGING BLOWS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 February 1943, Page 3

DAMAGING BLOWS

STRUCK BY ALLIED AIRCRAFT TARGETS IN NORTH AFRICA & SICILY. EIGHTH ARMY PRESSING ON. LONDON, February 9.' On the North African front French troops in Central Tunisia have beaten back an attack by an armoured Axis patrol. General Giraud’s headquarters say the.enemy suffered losses.

On nearly the whole length of the Tunisian front bad weather hasrestricted land activity to routine ■pati ’ ols • Advance units of the British Eighth Army are now operating well across the Tunisian frontier and keeping in contact with Rommel's rearguard. They continue to progress westward in the face of a great deal of mining and artillery fire in the northern sector along the coast. The Morocco radio reports that British troops are now less than 15 miles from the Mareth Line. Reuter’s Cairo correspondent says that General Montgomery has massed tanks and guns along the Tunisian frontier in readiness to attack Rommel’s positions round the Mareth Line. Middle East and Tunisian aircraft are keeping up big-scale attacks on Axis ports and communications. Ame-rican-manned Liberators made another heavy daylight raid on Messina. The train ferry terminus was the chief target. All the planes returned after destroying one Messerschmitt and damaging other enemy interceptor airCPSf t In Southern Tunisia Allied bombers pounded the big Axis airport at Gabes. Apart from aircraft they destroyed on the ground, they shot down 18 enemy for the loss of five of their own Further north, Flying Fortresses, at Sousse, hit two ships and bombed quays and a seaplane base. QUICK ENEMY MOVE IN DEFENCE OF COASTAL CORRIDOR. PANZER DIVISION GETS NEW EQUIPMENT. LONDON, February 8. United States troops returning from the battle for Faid Pass reveal that the German troops who captured it were one of Rommel’s panzer divisions, entirely re-equip-ped with tanks and armoured vehicles from von Arnim’s stores. This is reported by Reuter’s Algiers correspondent, who says that Rommel, with some of his seasoned veterans, pushed north as fast as possible, leaving the remnants of his equipment for the Italians, who are holding the Mareth Line. The Italians were again left behind by their German comrades. Rommel’s unencumbered troops were able to move very quickly. There is little doubt that an operational liaison between him and von Arnim has been effective for some time. With the arrival and re-equipping of Rommel’s crack troops, the likelihood of an Allied thrust to the sea in Tunisia to cut the German communications in the vicinity of Gabes seems increasingly remote. The. British paratroops who were driven from Jebel Mansour have now dug in in strong positions along the bottom of the ridge. The Germans, in addition to strengthening their hold on these ridges, are increasing their pressure against the passes. They have also reinforced, with heavy concentrations, the narrow bottle-neck forming the fiat plain between Gabes and Shott el Jerid. Any attempt to cross the plain to Gabes will find the Germans there with great armoured strength. Large numbers of experienced airmen from the Middle East are in position to take a very heavy toll of any atacking force, and the level country affords little natural protection. The Germans are also reported to be moving reinforcements into the area of Point du Fahs, north of Kaironan. Othei'wise there is nothing to report from the ground-front. A radio message from Ousseltia reports that British infantry and armoured forces are moving south to support the Americans in the Gafsa area. Axis reconnaisance planes have observed new Allied concentrations near Gafsa.

A report received in Madrid from Algiers says that reinforcements of guns and armour have reached the Allies holding on near Jebel Mansour. The Axis forces in Tunisia are believed to be beginning to feel the pinch in supplies, particularly of fuel, most of which is delivered by transport planes. It is estimated that about a third of the supplies assigned to Rommel and von Arnim are getting through. FOUR ENEMY SHIPS SUNK BY SUBMARINE. OFF THE ITALIAN COAST. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.40 a.m.) RUGBY, February 9. Allied Headquarters in North Africa report: “During a recent patrol in the Mediterranean a British submarine sank two south-bound schooners by gunfire, close to the Italian coast. One of the vessels was carrying ammunition. Later on the same day the submarine sank a 2,500-ton motor-vessel and a 700-ton steamer following astern was destroyed by gunfire. OFFICIAL REPORTS TUNIS & NORTH AFRICA. 18 ENEMY PLANES SHOT DOWN AT GABES. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.40 a.m.) RUGBY, February 9. A Middle East communique states: “Yesterday our patrol activity was continued. There were artillery exchanges in the northern sector. Air activity over the frontier area was on a small scale. On the night of February 7 an enemy merchant vessel was hit and badly damaged by torpedo aircraft north of Sicily. The MessinaSicily train ferry was heavily bombed in daylight yesterday. An enemy fighter attempting to intercept was

shot down. Two of our aircraft are missing.” The Allied force Command Post in North Africa states: “There is nothing to report from the land forces on the Tunisian front. Heavy bombers raided the docks at Sousse. Two ships were hit and many bursts were seen on quays and on the seaplane base. “Medium bombers attacked Gabes Aerodrome, causing fires among buildings and grounded aircraft. There was strong opposition from enemy fighters, 18 of which were shot down. Five of ours were lost. “Light bombers and fighter-bombers attacked enemy troops and vehicles without loss. No opposition was encountered from enemy fighters.” LARGE SCALE ATTACK OPENED BY EIGHTH ARMY. ACCORDING TO THE VICHY RADIO. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 11.35 a.m.) LONDON, February 9. The Vichy radio reports that the Eighth Army launched a largescale attack with the object of cutting off Rommel’s forces in Tunisia from the sea. The Morocco radio says the Eighth Army has completed mopping-up in Tripolitania, and that no Italians or Germans are left inside the border. A correspondent of the Columbia Broadcasting system at Algiers says that during the first three months’ operations in North Africa, 607 enemy planes were destroyed for an Allied loss of 250 planes.