Evening star., 1942-12-30
British lost Unit
Fights lis Way Back
Through Nazi Lines
Exhausted and Hungry,
Men Return After 4-Doy
Exploit in Tunisio
BY IVES GALLAGHER.

Associated Press War Correspondent.
NEAR MEDJEZ- -EL-BAB, Tunisia
Dec. rs Delayed Seven miles be-
hind the German lines, out of food.
almost without ammunition and cut
off from all means of communica-
ton, the Allied forces were being
attacked continually and one of
Britain's crack fighting units was
given up for lost.
But today, four days after vanish
ing into the mountains toward Tunis
staggering from exhaustion, hungry
and mud-caked, the first lost unit '
of the North African campaign
fought its way back into the Anglo
American lines. unbeaten and carry
ing its wounded.
From the major who had been
twice reported dead on this front. but
who is very much alive and fight
ing YorkShireman as the second in
command. the story of one of the
most remarkable fighting exploits of
this war was pieced together as the
red-eyed but still grinning Tommies
marched into a front-line command
post.
Three days before Christmas the
unit, with SIS mules, set out through
the mud into the mountains held
by the Germans. So boggy were the
muddy slopes during the first night
Of creeping single file through the
German lines, the men were able
to average only two miles an hour.
Knocked Unconscious.
During the night l fell off a
ravine and was knocked uncon-
scious." he related. When I came
to the unit had gone ! decided
to try to get back to the lines and
at dawn hid in the bush.
Il was less than 300 yards from
German battery and watched
them all day. That night, almost
the first thing, I ran into German
patrols. They challenged me and
I cut loose with my revolver and
jumped into the rocks They
started shooting with everything,
but I got away
His unit continued to push on, out
of communication with Allied lines
because its radio had been smashed
in a fall Heavy rain made travel
difficult, but the men pushed on,
although 10 mules died of ex-
haustion.
Near their objective. members of
the unit shot up German outpost
Earlier the dense fog had lifted and
the Allied fighters were spotted by
the Germans From their lofty
mountain position the Britishers
could see enemy forces preparing to
attack them.
Germans Repulsed.
Shortly before midnight Christ
mas eve the attack came.
Our commander grabbed rifle
with the rest of us and we went to
it." the major continued The
Germans tried winkling (bayonet
charse, but our lads stood firm and
gave it to them and they fell back. y
The three-hour attack ended at
2 m. Christmas Day.
With food and water gone and
ammunition almost exhausted, the
commander decided to withdraw
He calmly wished his officers a
Merry Christmas" then ordered
them to lead the battalion in fight
through the German lines.
While the Germans laid dowr
witnering machine gun fire, the
badly exhausted unit-sleepless fol
three days-kept going through and
around the enemy positions unit
the first groups stumbled into head
quarters today. The wounded were
carried on improvised stretchers.
The unit. which fought in France
until Dunkerque and can trace its
history to the battle of Gallipoli
was among the first to land at
Algiers in the Allied invasion OF
Africa.