FORCED WITHDRAWAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 February 1943, Page 3

FORCED WITHDRAWAL

CONTINUOUS ALLIED ATTACKS ' AGAINST ENEMY PRISONERS AND MATERIAL CAPTURED. SUCCESSFUL AIR OPERATIONS. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.25 a.m.) RUGBY, February 24. A North African communique states: “Following upon the heavy fighting of the past three days north and northwest of Kasserine American and British forces, after successfully holding the enemy's attacks, have forced his withdrawal from this sector. “Continuous attacks were made throughout the day by our fighterbombers on enemy columns, and a number of enemy motor vehicles were destroyed in the battle area. “In the Essadour area, west of Ousseltia, an enemy attack was successfully repulsed. Infantry and armoured units contacted the enemy, inflicting heavy casualties, taking many prisoners and securing abandoned enemy material. “In the northern sector our offensive patrol activity continued. Fighters also maintained offensive patrols over the forward area and three' enemy fighters were shot down. “On Tuesday night our bombers raided Bizerta. Yesterday, among other targets, the enemy’s airfield near Kairouan was bombed. Off the Tunisian coast bombers sank five powered barges carrying motor transports. A fighter escort destroyed an enemy aircraft. Eight of our aircraft are missing, but one pilot is safe. Two of our aircraft, previously reported as missing are safe. “Essadour is at the edge of the hills four miles west of Ousseltia, 35 miles north-west of Sbiba and 35 miles south of Bou Arada.” AIR SUPERIORITY OVERWHELMING ALLIED STRENGTH. IN MIDDLE EAST AREA AS A WHOLE. LONDON, February 24. The British Air Minister, Sir Archibald Sinclair, told the House of Commons that in Central Tunisia the Germans had, according to the available reports, made greater use of fighterbombers than dive-bombers. It is pointed out in London that for the first time in Tunisia the enemy could concentrate superior land and air forces against part of the central sector which was out of range of Allied fighters based to the north and south. In the whole Middle East area the Allies had overwhelmingly superior

numbers of aircraft. It was only in Central Tunisia where fighters could not be brought to bear in the fighting area.