Evening star., 1943-04-09
Onward in Tunisiu

OnWoI0 IN ] uniSl0
General Montgomery's latest VIC
tory in Southern Tunisia notably ad-
vances the Allied timetable for Axis
expulsion from North Africa. It Is
improbable that Marshal Rommel in
tended to fight more than delaying
action on the line Of hills and gullies
north OF Gabes. Strong though that
position was, it could be, and actually
was, outf1anked by the British ar
mored column which struck north
westward and made its dramatic
junction with the American forces
that had battled their way through
Guettaria Pass, thereby rendering
still more precarious Rommel's forti-
fed line along the coast.
Nevertheless, there is reason to be-
lieve that Rommel had hoped to
hold onto this line longer than he
did. That was the chief significance
OF his failure. The entire Tunisian
campaign should be thought of pri-
marily in terms of time. The Axis
high command is gambling quar-
ter-million good troops there in order
to postpone as long as possible Allied
attacks on Southern Europe, which
will become feasible as soon as the
Tunisian springboard is wholly in
Allied hands. The Axis forces are dug
In on naturally strong defense line
extending right through the noun
famous backbone of Tunisia from
north to south. Thus far, Allied at
tempts to crack this line by pressure
from the west have not succeeded, so
it must be rolled up by the British
Eighth Army advancing along the
coastal plain from the south. Mont
gomery's victory at the Wadi el
Akarit is the second stage In a proc
ess begun by the cracking of the
Mareth Line. The question now
arising is, how many more holding
actions Rommel may be able to fight
before he Is driven into the rugged
northeastern tip of Tunisia known as
the Tunis-Bizerte triangle, where he
and his colleague, General Won Arnim
presumably will put up their last
desperate stand.
Study OF the Typographical map
indicates only two positions where
such stands can be made. The first
OF these is twenty miles north of
Rommel's lost Akarit line. This new
defensive front runs for about thirty
miles from the small coastal town
OF Cekhira across the coastal plain
dotted with salt marsh until it
reaches a mountain bastion which is
holding up the American advance
eastward from Maknassy. The ad-
vantage Of this position is that it
cannot be outf1anked as at Ell Akarit.
II Rommel can stand up against
Montgomery's frontal pounding and
hold the mountain bastion against
the Americans, he may be able to
delay the now united Allies for q
space. Yet, unless he has prepared
his new position, Montgomery's
smashing impetus might drive
through irresistibly.
That would leave Rommel In a bad
situation. North Of the Cekhira-
Maknassy bottleneck the coastal
plain in Axis occupation widens to
an average of so miles, with the only
highroad and railway running near
the sea. Rommel will have to conduct
a ticklish retreat for nearly 100 miles
to his next natural position, which
has a 44-mile front from the port of
Sousse to the inland mountain an
chors that hold back American and
French forces pressing eastward
from Fondouk, Pichon and the Gus
seltia Valley. If Rommel cannot
hold that position, he must retreat
into the Tunis-Bizerte triangle and
the final siege operations will have
begun.
OF course, the picture would be
radically changed if the Axis noun
tain flank should be pierced at any
vital point. And it should be kept
In mind that the Allies are exerting
heavy pressure all along that flank,
especially in the extreme north,
where the British First Army has
just started a fierce attack directed
at Tunis. The indications thus are
that the Allies have amassed the
strength for concerted drive from
several points. The supreme crisis
in the Tunisian campaign may not
be far away.