TIGHT AIR BLOCKADE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 April 1943, Page 3

TIGHT AIR BLOCKADE

OF AXIS FORCES IN TUNISIA I More Enemy Transport Planes and Fighters Shot Down LAND attack on french positions REPELLED VITAL CONTEST FOR DOMINATING HILLS LONDON, April 20. Allied aircraft over and around Tunisia are putting- up a first-class air blockade of the enemy’s last bridgehead in Africa. Yesterday patrolling fighters shot down another 24 Axis aircraft, including 12 more Junkers transport planes. Though these figures are considerably less than those of the previous day, which are now stated to be 87 planes, including 58 transport aircraft, it was not the fault of the Allied planes. Pilots were on the job continuously, but targets were not so plentiful. This was not surprising in view of the enemy’s crushing defeat on the preceding day and of the continued pounding of enemy landing grounds and ports. Tunis was again raided by Flying Fortresses yesterday and so were most of the enemy’s landing grounds. French aircraft also bombed the Tunis neighbourhood, which is now within range of some of the Allied fighters. The main news on land is of an enemy counter-attack on Sunday night against French forces on the central sector. The attack was repulsed, the French being left still holding the hilly ground which the Germans wanted to regain. Every hill matters a great deal now, because it is from the hills that the Allies ’ guns can dominate the valleys, along which Allied tanks must go .sooner or later to strike at Tunis.