WAY FOUGHT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 March 1943, Page 4

WAY FOUGHT

THROUGH VERY DIFFICULT COUNTRY IN DRIVE .INTO MARETH LINE PROGRESS IN OUTFLANKING MANOEUVRE. ROMMEL FACING DOUBLE " THREAT. (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) (Received This Day, 11.30 a.m.) LONDON, March 23. The Eighth Army has driven a wedge into the most strongly defended part of the Mareth Line. Violent fighting took place before the British stormed the fixed defences. To reach the line they had to fight their way across very difficult country. The British troops are developing two 'drives, says the Algiers radio. They are attacking through the Matmata Hills, from the south-west, in a move which has outflanked the Mareth Line. The second thrust is a frontal drive on a six-mile front. The radio added that the Eighth Army, by noon yesterday, had reached a point 2> miles south-west of Larat (ten miles northeast of Mareth). The British force which reached the vicinity of El Hamma (20 miles west of Gabes) worked its way clear around the fortified Mareth positions, outflanking the whole line, says the Columbia Broadcasting system's Algiers correspondent. El Hamma is 45 miles northwest of Mareth—in other words behind it. French troops are advancing along the Shott el Jerid. American forces, after taking Maknassi, pushed on three miles and occupied a ridge eastward of the village. Maknassi was occupied with very little opposition. One arm of ,the Allied pincer is only 35 miles from the coast.. Should this drive reach the Mediterranean seaboard; Rommel’s forces will be cut off from von Arnim’s, in Northern Tunisia. Rommel thus faces a double threat an encirclement behind the Mareth Line and being cut off by the American and French forces in his rear. A British United Press correspondent with the United States forces reports that German tanks . early this morning, in a desperate attempt to break' the trap closing in on Rommel, attacked the Americans south-east, of El Guettar and at Hadjabelaioun (15 miles south-west of Pichon). Reuter says 70,000 French troops are participating in the Tunisian offensive. Gurkhas who are operating on the Mareth Line, in a night attack on a German outpost, killed many Germans and destroyed two gunposts. The Morocco radio says Hitler has ordered his troops in Tunisia to fight to the last man. Orders have been given to von Arnim and Rommel to stand or die. . The Rome radio last night issued sombre warnings to Italians oLgrievous trials ahead. “Our hearts go out to our troops in North Africa, who are again facing a hard trial,” it said. “The ■■ fortunes of Italy are again at stake as a grave phase of the war opens. The Russian danger must not overshadow the great threat from Britain and America.” Today’s German and Italian communiques simply refer to violent fighting in Central and Southern Tunisia, but the Berlin radio claims that British and American attacks thus far have failed. The radio, however, stated: “By reason of the considerable superiority of men and material at the disposal of the enemy, the outflanking manoeuvre to the rear of the Mareth. Line must be reckoned with.” REPORTED RETREAT OF ROMMEL’S MAIN BODY. (Received This Day, 1.0 p.m.) LONDON, March 23. An unconfirmed report, received in Madrid from Algiers, states that Rommel’s main body is in full retreat north of the Mareth Line. * The “Daily Express” interprets the Allied headquarters statement as meaning that the Mareth. Line has been breached, but the Eighth Army still faces two new lines built by Italians and Germans, between Mareth and Gabes. The British United Press asserts that the first Mareth defence line is by far the strongest of .the three. _ Reuter reports that, after penetrating the Mareth Line our troops are streaming forward to bring Rommel s main forces to action.