FURIOUS BATTLE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 March 1943, Page 3

FURIOUS BATTLE

CLIMAX NOT REACHED VET BITTER & CONFUSED FIGHTING. ON GROUND WON FROM ENEMY (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.45 a.m.) RUGBY, March 24. North African despatches indicate that the great battle in South Tunisia is very confused. As Mr Churchill said this morning, it has by no means reached its climax and much very hard fighting still lies before the British and AmerL can forces.' According to a Press message received this afternoon, the Germans made the utmost efforts to prevent the Eighth Army widening the initial gap made in the defences and sent in wave after wave of troops, supported by tanks and covered by a strong artillery barrage. Bitter and confused fighting took place, in which formations moved from, one place to another — and returned to the attack again and * again. The Allied air forces kept up > a storm of attack on a scale never before seen, even at El Alamein. Often fighters shooting up enemy troops had to switch their attacks hurriedly to avoid hitting our own men advancing. In all its fluctuations, adds the correspondent, the great struggle is being fought out on ground wrested from ) the enemy at the beginning of the offensive. The British flanking forces which made a wide detour towards El Hamma hold high ground, eight miles from that place, and are meeting strong opposition. An Allied tank unit is now master of the high ground on Jebel Doana, five miles south-east of Maknassi, and within 30 miles of the coast. Americans holding the heights astride the road east of El Guettar repulsed enemy tank attacks, which are continuing in face of a heavy barrage. The enemy in this sector, as in the Mareth Line, are fighting extremely well in the very hard battle now proceeding. The Italian Bersaglieri are fighting equally well in Northern Tunisia, where they were checked near Jebel Abiod and to some extent thrown back. It is thought possible that the enemy may have been compelled by events in the south to thin out his forces in the north, but he seems determined to secure as much room as possible around the northern part of his bridgehead in the BizertaTunis area.