Evening star., 1943-05-04
Continued From First Page.)

. Valley to the west for the last two
: weeks.
(The American approach on
Z Tebourba from the north threat
! ened to outflank the Axis de-
f! lenses in the Medjerda Valley
and open the way for a direct
march by the British on Tunis.)
Allied troops along the rest of the
125-mile front failed to match the
dramatic advances of the Ameri-
cans, but the British 1st Army made
"a slight advance in the hills 10
miles due north Of Medjez-E-Bat
ION the flank of the Medjerda Valley
thrust.
3 The British Tommies swept to the
submits OF Hills 443 and 416 in the
face of dogged Axis resistance, gain
ing about mile and a half in a
northeasterly direction.
:. Other Activity Reported.
The remainder Of the front, held
Lv the British and French, was
alive with artillery fire and patrol
ling, particularly in the 9th Army's
sector in the south.
(The British radio, in a French
language broadcast recorded by
:, the Federal Communications
Commission, said the 9th Army
had opened new attack north
of Takrouna, miles northwest OF
Enfidaville on the east coast,
with Gen. Sir Bernard L. Mont
gomery signaling the offensive as
usual by a violent artillery bar
rage)
The communique issued from
Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower's head
quarters described the American and
French advances as covering many
miles," and said the enemy had
been forced to "evacuate all his for
ward positions" in the north after
40 days of relentless pressure and
much heavy fighting"
The two drives of the Americans
and the third thrust by the French
and Americans along the Mediterra-
mean coast left some enemy troops
stranded in their mountain strong
holds in the Jefna area west of
sMateur an dan extensive roundup
sof prisoners was continuing.
e Several hundred already had been
scaptured.
81 Two hundred we're captured yes
sterday.
s@ Americans Quick to Act.
G. Outlining the developments which
Jed to the swift break in the situ-
sAtion yesterday, headquarters
spokesman said the American I'd
Army Corps, led by 1t. Gen. George
IS. Patton, jr., was extremely quick
to see the significance of Axis with
sdrawals in the north.
i, Realizing that the enemy was CIV
ing way on a big scale after Sum-
days lull. the Americans imme-
diately exploited the situation by
bold thrusts which ignored rear
guard nests left behind to delay
the pursuit.
I BY following rapidly behind the
enemy rather than waiting to wipe
sc;lt these nests, the Americans prob
sably avoided much hard fighting in
sthe rugged mountains while the
sGermans consolidated their next
positions, the spokesman pointed
tout
: The French and the Americans
in the extreme north pressed on
for four miles and attained a point
Aon the northwest corner of Lake
Achkel.
5 American columns farther south
seized Green and Bald Hills, barring
tthe road in the Jefna area, and
poured through to road junction 6
miles northwest of Mateur without
opposition. Infantry and a recon-
tnaissance unit then boldly went on
to Mateur. and before noon entered
the vital supply center astride the
main roads and railways connecting
Tunis and Bizerte.
Mines Encountered.
Some mines we're encountered, but
no dense fields of them such as
have hindered Allied advances else
where in the past.
The accuracy with which Ameri-
can artillerymen handled their
American-manufactured guns was
given large share of the credit by
the spokesman for the sustained
pressure on the Germans during the
last two weeks which ended in their
giving way.
These guns had shelled Mateur
severely for several days.
When the Americans reached
Mateur they found the Tine River
Bridge near the town blown up, but
they pushed on toward Bizerte, 18
miles away.
Aside from the attack on Bizerte,
Gen. Doolittle's bombers made heavy
attacks in other areas of the Tunis-
ian front.
Mitchells, escorted by Warhawks,
bombed the landing ground at Prot
ille-Mabtouha north of Tunis, scor-
ing direct hits on four parked air.
craft.
/ Light bombers and fighters turned
their attack on jetties at Menzel
Temine, little out-of- -the-way sea-
coast town on Cap Bon Peninsula,
starting big fire, and maintained
sweeps over the battle zones all day.
Aircraft from Malta set supply
ship off the Tunisian coast afire with
bomb hits and smashed at the island
.airdrome of Lampedusa.
CThe Italian communique. re-
corded in London from a Rome
broadcast, admitted that Axis
troops had evacuated the local
ity of Mateur" and said there was
''lively artillery and patrol activ-
ity" along the whole front.
CThe communique claimed the
sinking of an Allied submarine
and the capture of its comman-
der. five officers and Al crew
members.
CThe Germans asserted they
had yielded Mateur to the Ameri-
cans without fighting with
drawing after destroying impor-
tant war plants.
(The assertion. contained in the
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