HEAVILY ENGAGED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 30 April 1943, Page 3

HEAVILY ENGAGED

NEW ZEALAND DIVISION ON ANZAC DAY AXIS HILL STRONGHOLDS STORMED. ADVANCE IN DIFFICULT COUNTRY. (Official War Correspondent, N.Z.E.F.) NEAR ENFIDAVILLE, April 25. On the eve of Anzac Day New Zealand troops were in action among the hills and wadis of Tunisia, and when this significant day in New Zealand military history was only three hours old another heavy barrage crashed and thundered among the hills north-west of Enfidaville, supporting the New Zealand infantry in bitter fighting for valuable hill features in the Enfidaville line.

Following up an almost unimpeded advance of 2000 yards on the previous night, the troops of one New Zealand infantry formation drove almost another mile and a half northward' to establish a line fronting Jebel Mengoub. This attack met with very stubborn opposition, but when the armour of a famous British regiment swept through at the first light it was able to complete the work of the New Zealand infantry and clear the enemy from three hill features, which were the main objectives. A simultaneous attack was launched by English troops on the New Zealand right flank, and it also resulted in a considerable advance through difficult country. The New Zealand infantry attacked at 10 p.m., silently and without artillery support. On the right they took a conical hill without meeting with very strong resistance, but in the centre, where they attacked another similar feature, Bir Essrafi, they found German and Italian infantry were strongly entrenched and prepared to fight it out. In the face of heavy mortar and small-arms fire the New Zealanders swept up the forward slope of the hill and engaged the enemy fiercely on the summit.

In the fighting which followed, in which rifles, Tommy guns and grenades were used freely, heavy casualties were inflicted on the enemy, who finally ab-

andoned the hill. It was then realised that if the positions already . gained were to be consolidated a flanking hil must also be captured. Here again the enemy fought very stubbornly, and though the New Zealanders drove them to the summit, a determined counterattack, launched before they could consolidate, drove them back again. By 3 a.m., though we held the reverse slopes of Bir Essrafi, the situation was still indefinite. Artillery support was therefore called up, and under the barrage our infantry attacked. At the first light, when the tanks went through, the enemy still held the flanking hill and some positions on Bir Essrafi, but the tanks smashed stubborn-ly-manned machine gun nests and cleared all the objectives completely. As the positions captured on the flankin hill could not be consolidated at this stage, the tanks left this feature, which was again occupied by the enemy, but the attack left us in possession of two valuable hill features and the. intervening ground. During the course of the tank attack several enemy anti-tank guns were dealt with and strong machine gun and mortar posts were overrun. These attacks on successive nights have advanced our front nearly another 5000 yards into the hills and, in conjunction with the advance on our right flank, has brought the combined front line within striking distance of the rugged Jebel Mengoub. The New Zealand losses were not heavy) and some prisoners were taken. This morning the artillery on both sides is very actively engaged in counter-battery work, and bombing attacks.