IMPORTANT HEADWAY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 April 1943, Page 3

IMPORTANT HEADWAY

MADE BY THE ALLIED ARMIES IN TUNISIA * Towards Vital Axis Communication Centres WIDELY EXTENDED AND POWERFUL AIR ATTACKS IN AFRICA AND BEYOND MEDITERRANEAN LONDON, April 27. . Tonight’s reports from Tunisia state that the British First Army has crossed the Medjerda River and is now only ten miles from Tebourba. French troops are already on the outskirts of Pont du Fahs. Allied aircraft have struck heavy blows at Italy, from the Middle East, Malta and French Africa. In Tunisia, the battle has reached a new height of ferocity as the Allied offensive steadily gains ground despite desperate Axis resistance. Two main thrusts are threatening the enemy’s mountain defences. In the north, war correspondents state • that the First Army’s infantry has stormed across the Medjerda River and controls all the high ground on both sides of the river. These forces are roughly ten miles beyond Medjez el Bab and about the same distance from Tebourba.

A French communique states that General Giraud’s troops have pushed forward to the immediate vicinity of Pont du Fahs, an important supply centre linking the enemy forces facing the First and Eighth armies. The French troops have reached the national highway and taken many prisoners and important war material.

In an all-day tank battle yesterday 20 more German tanks were knocked out, making 80 destroyed since the Allied offensive began'last week. More progress has been made at both ends of the Allied line. Near the north coast French and Moroccan troops have gained more ground and the United States Second Corps has advanced in particularly difficult country. At the other end of the line, the Eighth Army has also pushed forward in broken country beyond Takrouna. Allied aircraft had another big day yesterday, flying over 1,000 sorties. Light bombers ana fighters struck heavily at enemy positions, transport and troops in Tunisia. Flying Fortresses went further afield than ever before and attacked an airfield 80 miles north-west of Rome. The planes went over in two waves and dropped hundreds of splinter bombs and high explosives on the aerodrome buildings. Other bombers, Liberators from the Middle East, attacked the airfield at Bari, on the east coast of Italy. It was the heaviest concentration of bombers ever used by the Ninth American Air Force. About 100 tons of bombs blanketed the aerodrome. Other aircraft attacked a convoy of seven ships off Sicily, bound for Tunisia. One supply ship was sunk, two set on fire and a fourth was hit.