MEN & GUNS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 May 1943, Page 4

MEN & GUNS

MAXIMUM BRITISH CONCEPT'''RATION

ALLIED AIRCRAFT PLAYING MAJOR PART. (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) (Received This Day. 12.40 p.m.) LONDON. May 6. Blasting a way along the Medjerda Valley to Tunis this morning, says Reuter's correspondent with the First Army, the British grouped more men and guns on a twc-mile front than had ever before been concentrated on such an area in North Africa, or possibly on such an area on any front during the war. The British push, the correspondent adds, began from a point eight miles from Medjez el Bab, from which Tunis is 27 miles distant. The capture of Jebel Bou Aoukaz was the preliminary move. Hundreds of guns laid down a hellish barrage before the British infantry moved forward. Allied airmen, approximately half of them British and half American, played a major part in the preliminaries. During the moonless night, Allied bombers flew over the enemy lines at frequent intervals. The aircraft got fully into their stride at dawn and in the three hours after dawn the airmen made over a thousand sorties. At almost exact quarterhour intervals, strong formations flew ahead of the infantry, bombing and machine-gunning every spot where an enemy movement could be detected. The enemy is reported to be evacuating Tebourba and withdrawing to Tunis. Reuter’s correspondent with the First Army says the British drive is making excellent progress and everything is going according to plan. _ The Berlin radio declared that Bizerta’s heavy guns, co-operating with bombers and dive-bombers, are hammering the French and American forces advancing on the port. The Morocco radio reports that widespread rumours are circulating that von Arnim has left Tunisia, after ordering his troops to resist to the utmost.

PRISONERS TAKEN

BY AMERICANS & FIRST ARMY (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.55 a.m.) ) RUGBY, May 6. A North Africa communique states: ‘■On the Eighth Army front a local advance was made and patrols penetrated deeply behind the enemy s positions. The country has been heavily mined. “On the First Army front an evening attack was made on Jdbel Bou Souka Hill, north-east Mejez el Bab, for which there has been considerable fighting already. The attack was successful, the hill was captured and 30 prisoners were taken. Further north several counter-attacks have been made against the Second United States Corps, but all were repulsed. A local attack, south of Lake Achkel, succeeded in capturing part of an important i feature, after fierce fighting. An advance was also made further north. In all 300 prisoners were taken in these advances.”

Heavy Allied air attacks are also reported.

COMMAND OF SKIES

ESTABLISHED BY ALLIED AIRCRAFT.

TREMENDOUS BLOWS STRUCK.

(Received This Day, 1.15 p.m.) RUGBY, May 6. A special North African communique states: “Making the most concentrated air attack of the war, the North-West African Air Force blasted a path in advance of our

ground units. More than 2,000 sor-

ties were flown by the Tactical Air Force alone, in direct co-operation with the Army and 17 enemy aircraft were destroyed over their own landing grounds. Our land operations were carried out with-

out hindrance from hostile aircraft.

“The Strategic Ail- Force deprived the enemy of desperately needed supplies, heavily bombing shipping in the Tunisian Straits and in the harbours of Sicily. In attacks on two convoys, four barges and four small boats were sunk and merchantmen were left burning. Strategic bombers gave the -harbours of Trapani and Marsula, in Sicily, a heavy pounding, scoring direct hits on a number of additional vessels and damaging harbour installations.

“The Desert Air Force made a successful shipping sweep over the Gulf of Tunis.”

The progress towards complete air domination to which the communique refers is illustrated by the fact that the Allied air forces destroyed over 1,650 enemy planes, for the loss of fewer than 650 Allied machines, between November 8 and May 21.

MORE OPEN COUNTRY ENTERED.

The capture of Massicault takes the fighting into more open country, in which our armoured units can operate more freely—this time, it would seem, without much fear of air attack.

An agency report says the enemy is evacuating Tcbourba. Another correspondent quotes an R.A.F. officer who followed the advancing infantry as saying that the road from Mateur towards Bizerta is littered with wrecks of Axis tanks and armoured cars and lined with enemy graves.