ROMMEL’S FORCES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 April 1943, Page 4

ROMMEL’S FORCES

/BOXEfr ON THREE SIDES BUT COASTAL CORRIDOR STILL OPEN. SHRINKING HOLD ON SOUTH TUNISIA. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 11.30 a.m.) LONDON, March 31. The Axis-held area in Southern Tunisia is steadily shrinking as the Germans and Italians are slowly withdrawing under strong pressure. The latest report from Allied Headquarters states that the Germans'are withdrawing north-east-wards from the El Guetar region. Rommel’s forces are boxed in on three sides—by the Americans from the west, the Eighth Army I from the south, and the sea from the east, but the coastal plain favours a smooth withdrawal. The First Army is clearing up pockets of resistance a little south of Sed Jenane and in the wooded country south-east of Sed Jenane. The enemy has been entirely cleared out of an area west of a line running due south of Sed Jenane to Djebel Abiod. The British captured Sed Jenane with little opposition. General Anderson’s troops entered the. town yesterday afternoon. Enemy resistance ceased after British and Moroccan troops had captured Tebouma, which ,as a phosphate-mining village two miles south of Sed Jenane. The First Army troops, immediately aftor entering Sed Jenane, struck east along the road to Mateur, the Germans and-Italians falling back. Over 700 prisoners have passed through one field headquarters alone on this front in lirtr'past three days. Reuter's Algiers correspondent says casualties in the First Army were extraordinarily light, except in one area where fierce hand-to-hand fighting developed, during an Axis counterattack on Monday. Reuter also reports that' the Americans, yesterday started a thrive down the main road from El Guetar to Gabes and by evening were less, than fifteen miles from Oudref.

TRAIL ,QF DESTRUCTION WRECKED ENEMY TRANSPORT NORTH OF GABES. I AFRIKA KORPS- ON THE RUN. (Received This Day, 11.50 a.m.) LONDON, March 31. —Air reconnaissance has revealed • hundreds of enemy vehicles im- ■ mobilised along the coastal road •north of Gabes. The retreating Germans are leaving behind many Italians. A British United Press correspondent i'epiorts that Rommel is continuing to move back without staging any counter- ’ attacks worthy of mention. The Axis is trying to delay the Eighth Army and American advances by minefields and road blocks. Some rearguard actions, with a small number of tanks and cleverly concealed artillery, are being fought. '“There is still plenty of fight left in Rommel, but for the moment he is on the run,” adds the correspondent. ■•■ The Berlin radio’s military commentator, Captain Sertorius, said the Germans and Italians who evacuated the Mareth Line had taken up new 1 positions between the Shott el Jerid and tjhe coast north of Gabes. Captain SerWrius added: “The big battle in Tunisia is spreading. Only the left wing of the First Army is at present operating. General Anderson is continuously bringing up < reinforcements and heavy fighting must be expected.” A German officer who surrendered, said he had never seen shelilng equal to that of the British, not even in Russian He added' that the excellence of thcT'First Army gunnery was. largely due to. spotters .. who spent nights on cold and wet hilltops to locate, targets. Reuter states .that the Algiers radio report of a British naval landing at Sfax is entirely discredited in London. Today's North Africa communique says the Allies have advanced ten to eleven miles north of Gabes. BIG SUCCESS WON. BY BRITISH SUBMARINES. NUMBER OF ENEMY SHIPS SUNK. (British Official Wireless.) This Day, 11.35 a.m.) RUGBY, March 31. A big submarine success off Tunisia is announced in an Admiralty communique which states:— “Four British submarines operating against Axis supply lines to Tunisia have sunk six more enemy ships and seriously damaged four others. “One of those seen to sink was a large fully-laden vessel in a stronglyescorted convoy intercepted off North Sicily. Another ship sunk in the same area was of medium size, carrying cased petroleum. Of the others sunk two were of medium size and two small. Of four damaged ships, one is believed to have sunk later. In addition to these successes, a number of smaller vessels were destroyed. Another submarine operating in the Mediterranean blew up a medium-sized supply ship while it was loading on the Calabrian coast.” NAMEJN HISTORY WON BY NORTHUMBRIAN DIVISION. VALIANT ASSAULT ON WADI ZIGZOU. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 11.35 a.m.) RUGBY, March 31. “One of the finest actions of the war,” cables a corespondent with -the Eighth Army, “was fought most gallantly by the Fifteenth Northumbrian Division, at Mareth on March 21 and 22, when they captured many prisoners. The Northumbrian Division was put in to force a way across the Wadi Zigzou—that formidable, deep ravine which suddenly became a name in history. It was wide and wet, very difficult for track or wheeled vehicles to cross, but the Northumberland sappers did a magnificent job and forced their way across. •Two days after this main coastal attack began, Rommel brought down ■the~~whole Fifteenth Panzer Division to-d«al with it. These panzers countergttacXed the bridgehead established by the Northumbrian Division. Mean

while we had delivered the famous left hook at El Hamma—the outflanking attack which eventually forced Rommel to withdraw from Mareth. While that was going .on, the Northumbrian Division had held the entire strength of the Fifteenth Panzer Division until it was too late for Rommel to bring them back to stem the tide of our assault at El Hamma.” SOMETHING BIGGER ANTICIPATED IN BRITAIN & AMERICA. MR E. DAVIS ON INVASION OF EUROPE. (Received This Day, 11.30 a.m.) LONDON, March 31. The Axis setback in Tunisia has led British and American commentators to remark that the Eighth Army’s victory will soon lead to “something much bigger.” The “Yorkshire Post” says: “Our expectations have been quickened and sharpened by the news from North Africa.”’ In Washington, Mr Elmer Davis, head of the Office of War Information, told a Press conference that, strictly as a civilian, he was of opinion that the Axis forces in Tunisia could be exterminated or neutralised in time to permit of an invasion of continental Europe this year. Ml’ Davis added that Rommel’s chances of evacuating from North Africa were considerably slimmer than those of the British at Dunkirk. A denial that Admiral Doenitz is to be supreme-commander of the Italian Fleet was broadcast by the Berlin radio. “It is one of the usual tendentious British reports,” said the radio. SCOTTISH COMRADES GALLANT 51st DIVISION. LONDON, March 30. General Freyberg’s troops, who made Rommel pull out of the strongest defensive system in North Africa and who now form the spearhead of the Allied advance beyond Gabes, are mainly New Zealanders. The Second New Zealand Division and the 51st Highland Division played the leading part in the Eighth Army fighting, says the Algiers correspondent of the Columbia Broadcasting System. The New, Zealanders duplicated their performance at El Agheila by advancing 100 miles round Rommel’s flanks and bringing off a bold, outflanking manoeuvre. El Hamma was captured by New Zealanders. The “Fighting Fifty-first” Highland Division which, with the New Zealanders, headed the enveloping thrust toward El Hamma, is one of the most famous British formations. The Germans in. the last war rated the Fiftyfirst as the best British shock troops. The 51st Division was occupying part of the Maginot Line when the Germans overran Sedan. The Scots fought their way back across France and were used in the unavailing attempt to isolate the panzers which reached the Channel ports. Finally they fell back to Saint Valery-en-Caux, where it was intended that they should be ' taken off by the navy, but bad weather largely prevented this. The remnant of the division, after heavy fighting, was forced to surrender. A few who escaped in small boats were included in the reconstituted 51st Division which took its revenge for Saint Valery at El Alamein. The subsequent advance has now enabled them to inflict another defeat on the Germans.