The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-11-12
American Columns Near Border; Air, Land, Naval
 Forces COOerpate GERMANS CLAIM
 MANY BOATS SANK Allied BOmbers Already Have Struck Germans
 Landing in Tunisia
BY EDWARD W. BEATTIE United Press Staff Correspondent

BY EDWARD W. BEATTIE United Press Staff Correspondent)
 London, November 12. -- (UP) - A powerful Allied land, sea, and air force today moved toward a showdown with the Axis in Tunisia, bull. warked by the British First Army-an estimated force of 150,000 picked fighting men, including veterans of the battle of France.
 Mobile American columns already had started the race for the Tunis- ian frontier and some reports placed the Allied spearhead within 50 to 100 miles of the border.
 British troops, 1t was indicated were swarming ashore to bolster the initial American striking force.
 Brigadier General James A. Doo- little's American air fleet and Royal Air Force planes operating from Malta were pacing the advance and the RAF already had brought Axis concentrations in Tunisia under at- tack.
 At sea the powerful fleet of Sii Andrew Browne Cunningham was believed steaming forward, possibly with fresh endorsements, to chal- lenge any Italian naval effort to intervene in the crucial struggle. | Nazls Claim Sinkings
 A report of German origin claimed that three Allied aircraft carriers, two battleships. four cruis- CTS, IA destroyers Hnd more than 40 transports had assembled at Gibraltar-possibly representing a massing of Allied naval resources which had been strung out along the lengthy Morocco and Algerian coasts.
 How much of the British first army already was ashore was mil- itary secret. However, the appoint- ment of Lieut.. Gen. K. A. N. An derson, first army commander, as commander-in-c chief of Allies forces in Algeria was taken to indicate that the whole force is being thrown in to back up the initial American assault troops.
 This is the army which fought the Germans in northern France and Belgium, eventually being evacuated through Dunkirk. It is regarded as the cream of Britain's fighting force. having been fully re- organized, all losses replaced and Its arTnored strength brought back to par after Dunkirk.
 Twin Columns Advance
 Twin American columns, one driving east along the Mediter- ranean coast and the other cutting to the southeast with the apparent Intention of striking directly across Tunisia at Tripolitania, were re- ported advancing rapidly.
 One London report said the Americans were less than 100 miles from the Tunisia frontier and there were indications in a Rome report of fighter plane battle north o, Cape Bone that the American ad. vance may be proceeding even more rapidly than indicated by ofa. cial reports.
 The initial blow in the Tunisis battle, 8 Cairo communique re- vealed, was struck Tuesday when a force of twin-m -motored Britiah bombers, presumably from Malta. attacked the airdrone 0utss@s ] Tunis and set afire or destroyed ls Axis planes on the ground.
 These planes were part of the force which the Germans have been rushing into Tunisia in desperate effort to hold off the rapidly-de- veloping American British pincers which is closing in from the west and east on Marshal Erwin Rom mels battered forces.
 The distance between the advanc- ed positions of the British 8th army in Libya. and the Americans in AL geria now is about 1,400 miles.
 Attack Damaging
 It was believed that attack at Tunis was particularly damaging to the Germans because they have not yet been able to move any (Continued on Page q