Evening star., 1942-12-05

(The Axis also claimed that $50
Allied soldiers were taken pris-
oner.)
Rail Yards Smashed.
Cairo reports said that In addition
to the three Italian warships re.
ported hit at Naples. rail yards were
smashed and great havoc was
wrought among docks where ships
were being loaded with Africa hound
Axis supplies
The casualty figures given by the
Rome communique ran higher than
those in the first Fascist reports on
heavy raids heretofore by the RAF
on Northern Italy.
The Liberator raid--the italians
called it short and violent'-was
the 3lst of the war against that port
with its great Capo di Chino air.
drome, arsenal, torpedo and plane
factories and its vital port facilities
Lying about 1000 miles from RAF
home bases in Britain but only about
half that distance from Alliedheld
points in North Africa, Naples ap-
parently is to feel more and more
the mounting might of the Allies
! in the Mediterranean theater.
Nazi Column Routed.
While the situation in Northern
Tunisia apparently was one OF bitter
/ deadlock, American troops under Col
Edison Raft, parachute commander,
joined with French units in routing
NaZi armored column and captur-
Ing a town in Central Tunisia.
More than 100 prisoners were
taken as the American-Frenchu units
fell on the Nazi column southeast
of Tebessa near the Algerian -Tuni-
sian border, a North African spokes-
man said. The Axis troops were
reported in retreat toward the coast.
The Mediterranean port of Sfax
is some l40 miles east of Tebessa.
| The situation in Central and
Southern Tunisia was confused.
Earlier advices have told of French
and Allied troops reaching the
! coastal road between Gabes and
! Sfax and at another point north
of Sfax. Yet reports persisted Of
Engagements far behind these points,
/ in areas far from Axis coastal bases.
Tough Fight" Faced.
Authoritative London sources were
I, quoted by the military correspond
,ent of the Daily Mail as saying that
1t. Gen. K. A. n. Anderson's 1St
Army faces period of hard, tough
tand relentless land and air fighting
tbefcre 1t can hope to pry the Ger
.mans loose from the bridgehead
faround Bizerte and Tunis"
| 1t. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower
was reported by one British source
Ito have all the fighters needed in
North Africa, but to be unable to
.bring them into action because of
tine lack of sufficient air fields near
fthe front American flyers we're re-
,ported using British Spitfires and
two German planes were reported
ishot down by this combination.
A Reuters dispatch said the Ger
bnans apparently had recaptured Te-
tbourba and were holding Mateur,
but an Allied spokesman in North
Africa said American guns COM
,manded the heights surrounding the
towns and had beaten back every
German attempt to break the Allied
ring.
1T is possible that Tebourba
might change hands several times,
but the main thing is to keep the
heights because as long as we have
them the Germans can't use the
town" the spokesman added.
The Allied situation at Djedeida
was obscure after bitter clashes be-
tween counterattacking Axis forces
and Allied troops which had driven
Up to within artillery range of Tunis
itself One report said American
and British forces were still clinging
to the western edge of Djedeida.
The Morocco radio reported that
f'the larger part of force of SO
Axis tanks thrown into a counter
attack in the Tebourba region had
been destroyed or damaged. Berlin
claimed 40 Allied tanks were de-
stroyed.
radio said today that the outcome
of the great tank battle, which has
been raging for the last 48 hours
in the Tebourba area, is still In
doubt"
Allied bombers continued to range
over all Tunisia, spreading destruc-
ton on airdromes. railway functions
and seaports important for supply
ing the Axis forces, And over the
Mediterranean itself an Allied aerial
offensive has been raging for days
with long-range bombers reaching
out to smash at supply and trans
port ships moving across the sea
to keep the Axis troops there in
the fight.
Raj torpedoed planes guarding
the Axis shipping lanes to Tripod
and Tunisian ports sank one south
bound Axis cargo ship and set an
other FIRE Thursday night on the