Evening star., 1942-12-03
The Race for Tunisiu

Behind a double veil of censorship
we glimpse one of the most exciting
obstacle races that the war has pro-
duced. BY land, sea and air, the con-
teStapts are taking the hurdles in
complicated series of maneuvers for
the prize-poSseSsion of Tunisia,
wedge-Shaped country, some 500
miles long from north to south, but
averaging only about 100 miles wide.
The Axis jumped the gun by flying
picked forces across the narrow
strait of sea from Sicily, less than
100 miles distant, to the northeastern
tip of Tunisia, smothering local
French resistance, and occupying the
Well-fortified naval base at Bizerte
and the nearby capital city of Tunis.
At the same time, other Axis air
units landed along the east coast
while land forces came by road from
Tripoli and seized the fortified line
in the extreme south. Thus, con-
nected line Of AXis-held territory
was established along the entire
east coast.
However, the Axis has failed in its
endeavor to advance inland and
block the big Allied offensive rolling
in from Algeria over the belt of hilly
to mountainous terrain which sepa-
rates Tunisia from Algeria. Having
consolidated its grip on this difficult
borderland, the Anglo American high
command is thrusting a series of
mechanical spearheads due eastward
at the AXis-held coastal strip, seek
ing to pierce it at several points,
thereby cutting up the Axis forces,
disrupting their communications and
crushing them in detail.
Although the precise progress of
these thrusts, made by American and
British troops aided by friendly
French troops, has not yet been off,
cially revealed, unofficial advices in
dicate that the Axis line of COM
munications down the coast toward
Tripolitania is gravely threatened,
while the shorter line in the north
east corner between Bizerte and
Tunis is likewise under heavy Allied
pressure. Meanwhile, above these
complex ground operations, a
great air battle is raging. The AXIS
high command is throwing in big
fleets of planes which are being
countered by American and British
air squadrons of growing strength.
Local command of the air will go
far to decide the immediate out
come of the land maneuvers.
It is still too early to say whether
Axis strategy aims to hold Tunisia
indefinitely or whether it seeks
merely to fight a delaying action.
Long-run Axis prospects in both
Tunisia and Tripolitania are not
bright. There cannot be more than
10000 Axis troops in Tunisia and
10000 in Tripolitania, many of these
Italian forces of dubious quality.
Those Axis forces are nipped be-
tween vastly superior Allied armies.
Winston Churchill in his recent
birthday address, revealed the COM
bined American and British expe-
dictionary forces landed in Algeria
and Morocco at several hundred
thousand, and Admiral Darlan is
reorganizing the large French forces
there to take an active part on our
side. On the eastern border OF
Tripolitania, the victorious British
Eighth Army is getting set for an
assault on the Axis defenSeS at the
bottleneck of El Agheila, where the
coastal highroad is protected by hills
and salt marshes. This line is not
as strong as was the British position
at El Alamein, between the sea and
the Qattara Depression. And once
the Ell Agheila position is lost to the
Axis, there is no comparable de-
fensive barrier between the advanc-
ing British and Tripoli, the main
Axis base in North Africa.
The overall picture thus distinctly
favors the Allies But this does not
imply that the ultimate victory will
soon be gained. Some of Germany's
best generals are in charge OF AXIS
operations and can be counted on to
nut up a tough, skillful defense. The
race is not yet won.