Imperial Valley press., 1942-11-16
7 uniiS
Battle

BY EDWARD w. BEATTIE

LONDON, NOV. 1t. (UP)-A pow
erful Anglo American force drove
into Tunisia today its advance
guards clashing with an estimated
10000 axis troops in the Bizerte
neighborhood amid reports of a ma
jor naval battle off the African
shore and indications that Adolf
Hitler may attempt to shoot the
works in an effort to block Allied
control of Africa and the Mediter-
ranean.
Anderson reported that 10000
axis troops already are shore in
Tunisi largely concentrated at the
air bases for which his speedy arm
ored columns are driving.
NAZIS LOSE PLANES
The NaziS were pouring air power
and reinforcements into Tunisia de-
spite heavy losses-61 planes thus
far off the TuniSian coast or blasted
on the ground at Tunisian air.
dromeS.
Allied observers believed this in
dicated that Hitler has chosen to
attempt to meet the Allied threat
! in Africa with major effort in an
attempt to keep the vital jumping
off ground for an Allied offensive
against the European mainland out
OF British and American hands.
Already, according to reports by
the Bern radio the Italians are
mainting a close watch along their
/ long, vulnerable coaStline for. any
Allied invasion thruSts.
STRENGTH QUESTIONED
1t was believed doubtful that the
Germans have any naval strength
except submarines and possibly some
motor torpedo boats in the Medter-
ranean. And it also was doubted
that Hitler would be able to muster
enough force in Tunisia to make
possible extended resistance to the
allies.
However, it was said that the
increased luftWaffe activity indicat-
ed he is throwing into the fight
everything he hs available much
as the British sent their expedi-
tionary force into Greece despite
the overwhelming odds against them.
Lieut.. Gen. Dwight d. Eisenhower
and Gen. Sir Bernard Montgomery.
it was felt were fully prepared to
complete the parallel of the Greek
campaign-in reverse.
ROMMEL WEAKER
Marshal Erwin Rommel is esti-
mated to have about 10000 men left
of his original Afrika Korps plus
another 10000 or 10000 Italians.
However. most of these men are
communications and base troops
not first line fighters
Anderson reported that his men
We're continuing our advance east
ward as rapidly as possible" and
said the initial objective was air
dromeS now in enemy hands"
He reported that the Germans
had suffered heavy air losses in
Tunisia with a total of 81 planes
known to have been destroyed-42
shot down off the Tunisian coast and
10 set afire on the TuniS airdrome.
The Germans already have con-
siderable air force on the spot"
Anderson reported, and are hastily
sending in new troops by air. Their
strength may be estimated at 10000
men"
Allied planes Kept the Axis forces
under inceSSant attack all the way
from Libya to Tunisia, and British
based planes, supporting the gigan-
tic North African operation, made
their fourth big attack in 10 days
on the Italian reinforcements base
of Genoa.
An American army headquarters
spokesman here said that reports
broadcast by the Allied controlled
Moroccan radios of contact between
the Allied forces to the west and the
Germans and Italians thrown into
Tunisia in desperate attempt to
halt them, were assumed to be cor