Evening star., 1942-12-20
Africa
Continued From First Page.)

have been destroyed in the last week
nearly equal the record of the last
week in November when II enemy
vessels went down before the siege
laid to Axis Mediterranean supply
lines.
Another eight vessels were known
to have been torpedoed, but their
fate was not observed. Last weeks
list of ships sunk included a 2,000-
ton anti-submarine schooner, a
large tanker, three medium-siz
supply ships, and one smaller supply
ship.
United States and British air
forces based planes on a new ad-
vanced air field yesterday and car
ried out successful attacks on the
retreating enemy in the Sultan
area" 30 miles west of Zauta en-
Nofilia.
Patrol Actions and Air Raids.
Fighting in Tunisia was confined
largely to patrols actions and air
raids. Bombers of the 9th Army
heavily attacked Tunis and its port
OF La Goulette Thursday night,
setting fires and causing large ex-
plosions.
Two transport planes were shot
down over Sicily and the Axis bases
at Trapani and Marsala there were
attacked. Marsala Is a seaplane
base and at both places, the British
said, many planes were damaged.
Four troop-laden transport planes
flying north from the TripoI coast
were attacked. One fell and the
others were damaged. This limited
that Marshal Rommel might be
moving his men into Tunisia by air.
The 9Th Army air support of the
British 21st Army in Tunisia en-
phasized the squeeze on the Axis,
but since Gen. Montgomery still was
nearly 400 miles from the border of
Southern Tunisia, they day when
fighters could shuttle between the
fronts still was distant.
The immense amount of work in
removing mines and death-traps
slowed the 9th Army advance and
was accepted as proof that Marshal
Rommel planned his flight long ago
and intended to go long way. 1t
was evident that his retreat was not
disorganized, that his lines were
fluid and his troops streaming along
the asphalt coastal road in good
order, offering slim targets to Allied
f1ghter-bombers ranging ahead.
Every House Has Explosives.
Observers from the front reported
that every house was alive with ex-
plosives and that 1t was virtually
impossible to enter a building with
out being blown to bits.
Allied planes were using anti
personnel and fuel bombs literally
The continued lack of any serious
air opposition from Marshal ROM
mel indicated he planned no early
stand.
The British, American and French
forces were deployed in Northern
Tunisia on line generally IS miles
from their goals, at Tunis and
Bizerte.
Heavy rains were drying up but
the terrain still was soft, and both
forces were drawing up heavy REIN
forcements for renewal Of the bat
tie. The Axis has between $4,000
and 10000 first line troops guarding
the Northern and Eastern Tunisian
coast from Bizerte to the Tripoli-
tanian border. They hold Sfax,
Sousse and Gabes on the East coast,
but the Allies apparently exercise
tentative control over the rest
of the French protectorate, which is
about the size of Alabama,
Nazis Report Troop Raids.
The German communique said
Nazi and Italian planes continually
bombed enemy troops lin readiness
to attack near Medjez-El- Bah.
They claimed 18 Allied planes were
destroyed at the cost of three. The
Italians said great damage was
caused to civilian buildings in an
Allied raid of Sousse where SO were
killed.
The Germans said their opera
tions" in Tripolitania Continued