LULL ON LAND

Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 April 1943, Page 4

LULL ON LAND

IN TUNISIAN CAMPAIGN BUT BATTLE OF SUPPLY LINES IN FULL SWING. ACHIEVEMENTS OF ALLIED AIR & SEA FORCES. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 11.15 a.m.) LONDON, April 18. A lull continues on the Tunisian land front, with the Italians and Germans strenuously consolidating their defence lines in hilly terrain. Allied patrols are ceaselessly probing for weak spots. The chief interest at present is focused on the battle of supply lines, in which Allied surface craft, submarines and aircraft are keeping up their attack by day- and night. They have sunk at least 45 Axis ships in the Mediterranean since March 15. The North-West African Air Force in that period has destroyed 18 Axis ships, British submarines sank 21, vessels of the Greek and Dutch navies sank four, and light coastal forces sank . four. A large total of Axis shipping also has been damaged while the foregoing figures do not include many small craft sunk. The North African Air Force in the same period shot down 519 Axis aircraft and destroyed or damaged nearly •one thousand on the ground, for the -Toss of 175 Allied aicraft, ten of which .Were destroyed on the ground. Statis-t-lies seldom make a thrilling story, but i-these figures offset the dearth of news "'from the land front with a picture in 'liwhich the sailors and airmen of the Nations are wearing down the -’■Axis in a ceaseless war of attrition. LThe Allied air forces in the Mediterranean shot down 43 Axis planes for . the loss of 18, during the 48 hours ended at dusk on April 17. A “Daily Express” correspondent in Tunisia says that, for the first time in this war, the Western democracies have in Tunisia assembled armies on the Russian scale. “Looking at their tens of thousands of vehicles, you might despair of finding any order or direction,” the correspondent observes, “but the junction of the various forces is being solidly cemented.” - A belief that German preparations '.have been made for an evacuation from Tunisia should their mountain perimeter defences be broken, is strengthened by a report that the Ger- ■ mans in Tunisia have been told that Hitler has “graciously acceded to the request of their wives and womenfolk that they should be allowed to return to Germany after their long services abroad.” A leading commentator, Mario Appelius, in an article on the “Popolo D’ltalia,” says that for the British and Americans to win the final stage in North Africa does not mean that they will have won a decisive battle. They must realise, he says, one of the numerous strategical truths realised by the Axis after the conquest of France, Nor- . way, the Balkans, the Ukraine, the Crimea, Burma, Malaya, the East Indies and the Philippines is that possession of all these bases did not enable the Axis to win the war because this struggle is too vast to be won in five or ten happy strokes. / FRENCH TROOPS m * OPERATIONS IN MOUNTAINS CONTINUED. PLANES ASSIST IN BOMBING TUNIS. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 1.0 p.m.) RUGBY, April 18. ’> A French North African communique ' states: “Our troops continue opera- ' tions in the mountainous region southward of Pont du Fahs. In several local engagements about 60 prisoners • were captured. Our planes joined in ’ bombing Tunis without suffering any ' losses. r L, ATTACKS ON SICILY MADE BY MALTA AIRCRAFT. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 1.0 p.m.) RUGBY, April 18. Fighter-bombers yesterday attacked a seaplane base and chemical factory at Syracuse (Sicily) and then the Biscari Aerodrome, says a Malta message. Two Junkers 88s were probably destroyed over Tunisia, and a Heinkel was destroyed off Sicily.