CLOSE BLOCKADE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 May 1943, Page 3

CLOSE BLOCKADE

DRAWN BY NAVAL FORCES ROUND CAPE BON PENINSULA SOME ENEMY VESSELS SUNK. EXTENDED AIR OPERATIONS. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.5 a.m.) ) RUGBY, May 10. A North Africa communique states: “Intense activity continues on the part of our naval coastal forces to prevent any escape of the enemy by sea. With the clearing up and surrender of Tunis and Bizerta, most of the recent naval work has been carried out on both sides of Cape Bon Peninsula, where the enemy troops that remain are concentrated.

“There have been incidents in plenty in addition to those reported in an Allied Headquarters naval communique yesterday afternoon. It is now learned’that early yesterday morning one of our ships sank a barge full of troops, oil and ammunition 30 miles north-east of Cape Bon. The peninsula has been closed and blockaded. “The naval task has been sustained and arduous, particularly on the part of the naval patrol of light craft. Yesterday one of the Allied light coastal craft torpedoed an enemy vessel in the Rassada anchorage, on the east side of Cape Bon Peninsula. The enemy vessel blew up. In the afternoon another of our ships bombarded an enemy battery at Sidi Daoud, on the west side of the peninsula, with useful results.

“The blockade continues without remission and will be continued until Cape Bon Peninsula is in Allied hands and the last enemy troops in North Africa have been accounted for. “In North-Eastern and East Tunisia all organised fighting ended on the Second American Corps front at 11 a.m. yesterday, the “terms of surrender being unconditional. It is estimated that about 25,000 prisoners have been captured in this sector, including six generals. The counting is not yet completed. Large quantities of enemy equipment and war material have also been captured. Mopping-up operations are being continued. “In a sector in South-East Tunis heavy and bitter fighting is still in progress, the enemy resisting with determination. By evening'our armoured elements had made progress and the advance continues. French forces also met with strong opposition in the Zaghouan sector, but succeeded in making a local advance. On the Eighth Army sector, active patrolling was carried out throughout the day. A local attack achieved all its objectives. Some prisoners were taken. “Yesterday the Tactical Air Force maintained its heavy and continuous attacks on the enemy in the Cape Bon peninsula. Troops and transport were attacked without respite and great damage was caused. Shipping around the coast of Cape Bon peninsula and to the east of Bizerta was bombed. Some vessels were sunk and others damaged, and considerable losses were caused to enemy personnel. “A strong force of light and medium bombers attacked an airfield in Sicily. Bombs burst among aircraft on the ground and several fires were started. The strategic Air Force carried out its heaviest bombing raid of the campaign when docks and the industrial area of Palermo were attacked by very large formations of Flying Fortresses and medium bombers, with Lightning escorts. Many of the targets in the area received direct hits and great fires were left burning. Thirteen enemy aircraft were shot down in the course of the raid.

On Saturday night, Wellington bombers attacked airfields in Sardinia and light bombers attacked enemy troops and vehicles on Cape Bon Peninsula. On the same night Beaufighters of the Coastal Air Force, on patrol, destroyed five enemy aircraft.

“From all these operations five of our aircraft are missing.” FORTRESS EUROPE ABOUT TO BE ATTACKED BROADCAST BY GENERAL GIRAUD. FRENCH TOLD TO AWAIT MOMENT FOR ACTION. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, May, 9. General Giraud, in a broadcast to France from Algiers radio, said: “In a few days no German will be left on Tunisian soil Tomorrow the fortress of Europe will be attacked.” He warned Frenchmen not to give the Germans a pretext for “savage and bloody reprisals,” but to wait “till we are ready to fight together.”

By liberating Tunis and Bizerta the Allied and French forces had accomplished the first great victory on French-protected soil, General Giraud said, “This victory again shows that the German armies are not invincible. The French army which is being formed here wants to fight and knows how to fight, and its task is to liberate France and the prisoners in Germany. With the help of the workers of America, and fighting side by side with the soldiers of Britain and America, we can no longer indulge in doubts. We are certain of success.” SOIL OF FRANCE FREE. Mr William C. Bullitt, a former American Ambassador to France, spoke today of the Joan of Arc celebrations in Washington, which marked the first joint public demonstration of Fghting French and Giraud representatives. The meeting followed a parade in which 1000 French sailors from the Richelieu and Montcalm, and Fighting French soldiers from the Antilles participated. Representatives of the British Embassy, de Gaulle and Giraud groups, and the United States Army and Navy attended. Mr Bullitt said: “The fingers of the Germans are still at the throat of the French people, but the soul of France is free. That the forces of Generals de Gaulle and Giraud—their military, intellectual and spiritual forces—should unite in one single indivisible French force, is the prayer of all Americans, ‘de Gaulist’ and ‘Giraudist’ are honourable names, but there is a name that is more noble and more glorious—the simple name of ‘Frenchman.”

CAUGHT NAPPING BV SPEED OF ALLIED PUSH MANY GERMANS IN TUNIS. BIZERTA HILLSIDES COVERED WITH ENEMY DEAD. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, May 9. When some British troops entered Tunis on Friday night, they found Germans walking along the streets unaware that the First Army was in the city. A party of German officers was dining in one of the hotgls. When a British officer walked in, they escaped through the kitchen. Giving these instances of the swiftness of the final British advance, a war correspondent adds: “Thousands of Germans and Italians yesterday streamed into the prisoners’ cages—mostly Germans. They came trudging unescorted into our lines, showing no heart for the fight. Most of them said they were surprised by the speed of our push. Sniping went on in the city last night, and one anti-tank gun kept firing till all the crew was killed. The British United Press correspondent reports that the number of civil-, ians killed in Tunis in all the bombing, shelling and fighting is believed to be about 1800. The correspondent describes the wreckage in the Tunis dock area and warehouse district as being as bad as anything he saw in London during the blitz. The Germans in Bizerta wrecked everything they had time to wreck, says Reuter’s correspondent at United States headquarters. However, the power plant and most of the public utilities were found unharmed. The Germans in the harbour sank eight ships and a ferry and wrecked docks and cranes. Describing the final assault, Allied soldiers said that whole hillsides were covered with German dead. Tanks overran the enemy’s gun positions, crushing the gun crews under their wheels.