Evening star., 1942-12-01
BY IVES GALLAGHER,
Associated Press War Correspondent

ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN
NORTH AFRICA, Dec. 1.-Ameri-
can Flying Fortresses and light
and medium bombers battered
the Axis-held Tunisian coastal
bases of BiZerte, Tunis and
Gabes today in the greatest "a
hour air assault of the North
African campaign, and an au-
thoritative source declared the
battle for Tunisia is "in the crit
ical stage"
CReuters reported that the ter
rife Allied aerial pounding had
made the Bizerte airfield virtu-
ally untenable and that there
were signs that the harassed
Axis air force was withdrawing
to air bases in Sicily
The Axis, facing entrapment at
Bizerte and Tunis by Allied spear
heads approaching the coast, were
reported trying to establish new
beach head at Gabes, more than 200
miles south of Tunis, on their last
remaining land escape route towards
Tripoli.
Strong Pressure Put on Axis.
American and British forces are
"maintaing strong pressure" against
Axis positions in the vicinity Of
Mateur, rail junction south of BIZ
zerte, and Djedeida. II miles north
west of Tunis, an Allied communique
said. In the southeast numerous
Allied patrols, including French
units, spread havoc among enemy
installations.
CA communique issued at the
War Department in Washington
also described this action)
The Allies were In contact with the
enemy at several points in the
rugged mountains between Mateur
and Djedeida. These towns are
about 20 air lines miles apart, but
the railroad linking them winds over
considerably greater distance.
Flying FortresSes scored hit after
hit yesterday in high-level pre-
cision bombardment of the Bizerte
docks while medium American
bombers set great fires roaring in
rail yards and hangers.
Then light American bombers re-
turned to blast Tunis airfield this
morning.
Bombs Rained on Bizerte.
Throughout the night RAF medium
bombers rained explosives on BIZ
zerte, keeping the Allied attack
going without pause.
American P-38s, twin -motored
Lockheed Lightning fighters. es-
cOrted the United States bofnbers
on all their missions and then went
hunting on their own, shooting
down two of what were believed to
be the latest type of Germanys
Messerschmitt 109-Gs and damaged
others against the loss of one P-38.
American and RAF spokesmen
said the Germans, trying francically
to gain air superiority over Tunisia
now were using Focke Wulf 1905 and
Messerschmitt 109-Gs on this front.
An authoritative source said the
Axis had been trying to establish
a secondary bridgehead at Gabes
apparently in order to keep COM
munications open along the coast
between Tripoli and Bizerte and at
the same time have place to fight
If the capital CTunis) and naval
base (Bizertel fell"
Axis POurs in More Troops.
1t was estimated unofficially that
the Germans and Italians had 90
900 combat troops and many thou
sands of communications and air
force men in Tunisia and still were
pouring them in.
The continued dispatch of such
forces to Tunisia. it was said, pro-
vided ample indications that Adolf
Hitler was determined to hang on
in North Africa and make a fight
of it as long as he could
After giving Gabes a going over, IL
was announced officially, Allied
bombers raided Sfax. some 80 miles
up the curving Gulf of Gabes coast.