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EARLY EVENTS

* IN BATTLE OF MARETH LINE ' GALLANT ACHIEVEMENTS. BY ROYAL ENGINEERS & BRITISH INFANTRY. (Received This Day, 9.30 a.m.) LONDON, March 24. Reuter’s correspondent with the Eighth Army says the Royal Engineers and sturdy British infantry were the real heroes of the Mareth Line breakthrough. Their fighting qualities were shown best during the initial advance, after our barrage had got to work towards the Wadi Zigzau. A mined antitank ditch had to be crossed to reach the wadi, where two forts had to be cleaned up. Our men for hours, supported by a small number of tanks, had to hold firm under heavy artillery fire. The engineers with them blew up the mines and laid girders over the rugged surfaces, enabling the men to get forward. Scaling ladders were brought up and our men climbed the wadi to storm the enemy strongholds. The Germans turned on a formidable force of guns against . this spearhead, which hung on grimly. The enemy counter-attacked towards the afternoon of the second day, but failed and more infantry and tanks swarmed over the bridgehead to strengthen our hold on the salient. The last enemy forts were then captured and the main battle could be said to have begun. The break-through on the Mareth Line occurred at 3 a.m. yesterday, after less than 30 hours of savage fighting. The Germans desperately attempted to hold the line, rushing up the crack troops of the Panzer Grenadiers, but the British, overcoming all opposition, continued to storm through in the moonlight. The Algiers radio, describing this phase of the battle, said the Eighth Army was pouring through the gap it had punched in the northern part of the Mareth Line and was then only 13 miles from Gabes. Rommel’s forces were resisting violently for the Mareth Line was exclusively defended by Germans. The Americans have captured an important height five miles eastward of Maknassi and continue to advance. NAZI COUNTER=ATTACKS SUCCESSFULLY REPULSED. (Received This Day, 9.35 a.m.) RUGBY, March 24. A North Africa communique states: “Fierce fighting continued throughout yesterday in the Mareth area, where the Eighth Army successfully repulsed enemy counter-attacks, inflicting losses in men and equipment. Prisoners taken now number over 2,000. “In the Gafsa sector, east of El Guettar, an enemy armoured division launched several attacks from the southeast, which were repulsed by American troops, who held their positions firmly. A number of enemy tanks were destroyed and over 200 German prisoners were captured. “A little further north, near Maknassi, our forces made a slight advance, although strongly opposed, and captured a number of prisoners. “In Northern Tunisia our patrols were active. There was some enemy shelling in the Medgez El Bab area.” AXIS WITHDRAWAL HINTED AT IN BERLIN. “ROMMEL LINE” TO GABES. (Received This Day, 9.30 a.m.) LONDON, March 24. The Rome radio says violent fighting is proceeding in Tunisia, particularly

in the central and southern sectors. Axis troops launched several counterattacks and repelled the enemy at some points, but in other parts of both sectors Axis troops are engaged in heavy defensive fighting. A Wilhelmstrasse military spokesman hinted that Rommel might withdraw from the Mareth Line and make his principal stand on the newly-con-structed Rommel Line, from Gabes to the Shott el Jerid salt lake. He explained that the Mareth Line was not panzer proof and not modern, whereas the Rommel Line was considerably stronger. The spokesman admitted General Montgomery’s superiority in men and material, but said Rommel was throwing in all his aviation in an attempt to hold up the advance.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WAITA19430325.2.18.3

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 March 1943, Page 3

Word count
Tapeke kupu
588

EARLY EVENTS Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 March 1943, Page 3

EARLY EVENTS Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 March 1943, Page 3

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