The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-11-10
Mobile Column of u. 5, Troops Moving Towards
 TuniSia BIZERTE TO BE NEXT
 MAIN OBJECTIVE Vichy, Axis Making FranA tic Efforts to Check American Occupation
BY EDWARD w. REATTIE United Press Staff Correspondent

United Press Staff COrreSpondentl
 London, November 10. -- (UP) - French reports late today said that American troops have occupied Gran and established military headquarters in the center of the city. American troops marched into Gran, the secs ond city of Algeria, at g a. m after U. s. tanks had broken French resistance, the Vichy radio said.
 Entry of U. s. troops came as tho fall of Casablanca, chief city of French Morocco, was expected mo- mentarily and mobile U. s. column speeded southeast from Algiers to- ward the Tunisian frontier.
 Shortly after the entry of tho American forces, U. $. headquarters was established in Gran, the Vichy report said, presumably by Maj. Gen. Lloyd R. Fredenall, com- mandsr of tho U. S. operation ab that port
 Minor Skirmishing
 Vichy reported that there was minor sk!rmishing inside the city but that calm was rapidly restored. The city was quiet and normal and all fighting had ceased by 3 D. in. the report said,
 The United States offensive in North Africa was in high gear ard reports both from Allied headquar- ters and the Vichy and Axis radio indicated 1t rapidly was nearing the mop-up stage.
 It was believed that the impor- tant French naval base of Zizerto in Tunisia might shortly be brought into the area of American opera tions.
 Frantic efforts were under way by Vichy and the Axis to counter- act the fast-moving Allied opera ton. Marshal Henria Philippe Pe- tain assumed the supreme con- mand of all French armed forces and Premier Pierre Laval was re- ported attempting to negotiate a full peace with Germany, probably preparatory to an effort to take France openly into the war as Q Nazi ally. One rumor circulated that Laval, Adolf Hitler, and Benito Mussolini might hold a joint con- ference on ways and means.
 Naval Action Spreads
 There was spreading naval ac- tion both in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.
 The British admiralty reported that British submarine had tor- pedoed an Italian cruiser north of Sicily and A. V. Alexander revealed that 40 Nazi submarines had been sunk or damaged in the last three weeks, many of them presumably in attempts to attack the armada of Allied forces assembled for the African drive.
 Washington sources said tho armada was the largest in world hiStory)
 Situation Summed Up
 On the fighting front in Africa the situation was this:
 Vichy reports said that American tanks had battered into both Gran and Casablanca and there was every indication these key cities Of Algeria and Morocco would shortly be in full U. s. control.
 Gov. Gen. Auguste Nogues, in charge of Moroccan defense, fled his headquarters at Rabat for some interior point, possibly the famous French military headquarters at Meknes.
 The French reports said the at. tack on Casablanca was being made by superior forces" of U. s. tanks coordinating their drive with heavy air bombardment. Only te the east of the city was French re- sistance still reported. aided by some of the medium batteries of the unfinished French battleship Jean Bart.
 Vichy also reported that an American column southeast from
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