Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-11-12

Mediterranean
Continued From First Page.)
Axis broadcasts to have been vir-
tually completed, and the Italians
began occupation of Corsica.
Political echoes persisted. But
Pro-Nazi Pierre Laval appeared to
have prevailed on the Vichy gov
eminent to continue its opposition
to the Allies.
Eisenhower Appeals to French.
1t. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower,
commander of the North American
AEF, himself appealed to French
naval crews by radio to "join the
United Nations in the fight for free
dom" by sailing for Gibraltar.
Marshal Petain's protests against
the Axis occupation waned and the
Vichy radio announced last night
that both he and his cabinet called
on Colonials in North Africa to
fight the Allies ito the limit = " in
the interests of France and the en-
pire."
But Algeria and Morocco were
already secured.
American and British troops raced
. eastward across Algeria together
their rear protected by the final
capitulation Of colonial forces-to
meet Axis airmen and marines re-
ported landing on the air fields Of
Tunisia, French protectorate and
| one-time pirate state on the sea-
ward salient of Western Libya.
Some London observers said the
aerial clash might be the greatest
of all time. 1t was apparent that
the Allied forces were extending
themselves in an effort to reach
Tunis, the capital, and the nearby
naval base of Bizerte and wipe out
the invaders before they get estab-
lished.
Ninety miles northeast of Tunisia
across the Central Mediterranean
lies Sicily, Italian stepping stone for
invasion, which the Allies may
eventually use to reach Italy herself.
The Allied forces were made up
of troops from Gen. Eisenhower's
command and the British LIST Army,
headed by Gen. K. A. N. Anderson,
50-year-old Scot.
Allies Near Tunisia.
Observers estimated that the AL
lied vanguard would be near if not
across the Tunisian border by today.
1t was reported early yesterday in
Bougie, 280 miles wst eof Bizerte.
Field reports indicated that the
Germans had about 1000 airmen,
with dive bombers and fighters and
some Italian marine attachments
already assembled for the effort to
cushion the shock of the Allied
drive on Libya, a drive fully CORE
lated with the British 9th Armys
victorious push from Egypt
A possibility that Marshal Erwin
Rommel would try to assemble the
remnants of his African Corps in
Tunisia was among the angles con-
sidered in strategical discussions.
One estimate was that the Axis
might put 5000 of its newest and
best planes into the air arena and
the United States and Britain would
be expected to supply as many or
more.
Berlin and Rome radios told of
the flow of Nazi and Fascist troops
across the soil which Vichy had re-
garded as its own for almost 80
months.
German military quarters said the
Germans had reached all their OBJ
lectives within II hours after they
crossed the demarcation line by
Adolf Hitler's order yesterday morn
ing. Specific cities were not men
toned.
Italians Move Into Corsica.
A Madrid dispatch indicated. how
ever, that the Axis movement to
take possession of the Mediterra-
mean shore-to counter the Allied
objective which Prime Minister
Churchill described as exposure of
the under belly of the Axis"-was
still incomplete.
1t said the Germans were ex-
pected to reach the Spanish French
frontier opposite Port Bou today.
The Italians, after more than two
years of shouting for Corsica, Nice
and Savoy-mottos with which they
entered the war against the falter-
ing French in June, 1940-finally
had an opportunity to move into
these areas.
Fascist motorized forces entered
Nice yesterday afternoon, travelling
westward, and advices from the
French frontier said they might
have already reached Toulon, 70
miles away.
Italians were reported to have
landed at Bastia, Corsica, and ac-
knowledged the prospect of attack
en- italy herself by withdrawing
civilians from 50-mile strip of the
Ligurian Sea coast between Genoa
and Spezia.
Premier Mussolini's newspaper II
Popolo d'Italia called on Italians
to hold fast, saying they knew that
the new phase of the war placed
Italy lin the front line"
Across continents, troops were on
the move. ..
Recalling the movement of para
chute troops by air from England
for the North African campaign, q
Lisbon dispatch said a large force
Of transports, bombers and gliders
was sighted yesterday afternoon fly
ing southwark of the Portuguese
coast.
A Berlin dispatch to the Neue
Zuericher zeitung, Swiss news
paper, said the German army Of the
west was adequate to cover the ex-
banded guard lines around France.
Frances future course clouded late
last night as Marshal Petain ana
his cabinet heard Laval's report
on his conference with Hitler at
Munich.
Rumors spread In vichy that the