Evening star., 1942-12-07
Big Battle in Tunisia Indicates
Opening Of Allies Supreme Bid;
Bombers Again Pound Continent
Savage Clash Of
Tanks, Planes and
Guns Is Raging
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
LONDON, Dec. IA savage
battle of tanks, planes and guns
ragged today along the southwest
corner of the Tunisian triangle
In what may be the Supreme Al
lied bid to thrust the Axis out of
North Africa.
An Allied war bulletin said the
fighting erupted yesterday in the
vicinity of Tebourba, strategic COM
munications center 20 miles west of
Tunis where the Axis had been
hurting strong assaults against
British and American advance posi-
tions.
simultaneously with this big-scale
action, Rome and Berlin reported
stepped-up artillery dueling in the
vicinity of FL Agheila, in Libya,
where both the British and Marshal
Erwin Rommel's Africa Corps have
been rushing up reinforcements for
q showdown.
Fighting Continuing.
Today's communique from Allied
headquarters in Africa gave no clue
as to the course the fighting was
taking, saying merely that it was
continuing. Supporting Allied
planes battered the enemy through
out yesterday.
CA War Department commu-
nioue issued in Washington at
about the same time as that from
African headquarters also told OF
heavy fighting and at the same
time reported that Allied air
craft operating in support OF our
forward troops carried out several
sweeps and patrols yesterday.
Three enemy aircraft were shot
down"
C"Last night five enemy bombers
attacking our forward bases were
destroyed" it saido
Final Plans Reported Laid.
Allied commanders were reported
today to have laid plans for the
final phase of the Tunisian cam
paign" at a candlelight conference
in a farmhouse kitchen late yester-
day
A Reuters dispatch from the bat
tlefront told of the conference.
Heights dominating Tebourta are
securely held by Allied troops. the
Morocco radio said in a broadcast
recorded in London.
A Reuters correspondent with 1t.
Gen. K. A. N. Anderson's British
1st Army reported in a frontllne
dispatch that British Commands
and parachutists landed three days
ago along the coast behind the Ger
man lines, fought their way inland
seven miles to the southland and cut
q road. The exact locale OF this
action was not given.
Allied fighters, still handicapped
by the lack of wholly prepared ad-
vance airfields, were declared never
theless to be attacking German and
italian positions continuously while
bombers pounded Tunis, Bizerte and
Tripoli
British and American bombers
and fighters lashed at Axis COM
munications between Italy and
North Africa in weekend raids.
Airdrome Is Raided.
Reggie Airdrome, in the extreme
south of Italy, was hit Saturday
night. Docks at Bizerte were blasted
and a railway line between Sousse
and Sfax, along the coast of the
French protectorate, was shot up, a
Cairo communique said.
Staff officers of Gen. Anderson's
forces and American supporting
units were reported by Reuters Cor
respondent Alan Humphreys to have
mapped the operations for the final
cleanup of Tunisia.
The general. who commanded the
division which has done the bulk
of the fighting for the 1st Army,
left the meeting "in high spirits
and full of confidence" Mr.. Hum
phreys said.
Prior to issuance of the commu-
nique telling of the heavy fighting
in the Tebourba area, Allied lines
were reported here to be holding
firm despite bombing attacks
as reserves and supplies were moved
up. mile by mile, for the final Of
fensive.
A Vichy radio broadcast recorded
In London, however, asserted that
British forces were retreating west
of Tebourba and the Italian high
command declared that "mopping-
up operations" had been completed
at that town after four days Of