Evening star., 1943-05-09


Suez to Gibraltar, ships may pass along
the north shore of Africa relatively free
from danger. Transport of men, equip
ment and material for use in the inva-
sion of the Near East. if that should be
decided upon. and for use in the drive
TO roll the Japs back out of Burma,
Thailand and Indo-China, should that
campaign be undertaken. is made far
easier No longer need the long route
around Cape of Good Hope be followed.
The saving in shipping will be tremen-
dous. The saving of time will be in
valuable
1t is not likely that the invasion across
the Mediterranean will be held up until
the final mopping up
War Of Nerves of the remnants of
Bockfjres the Afrika Corps is
completed. In fact,
Elmer Davis, director of OWL last week
predicted that the invasion attempt or
attempts will occur soon This. of course.
could be part Of a war of nerves, that
German invention which seems to have
backfred. The probabilities are, how
ever, that the Allied forces will give the
enemy no opportunity to prepare addi-
tlonal defenSeS across the sea nor will
they allow time for Hitler to send that
material and manpower assistance to
Italy which Mussolini so frantically
sought last Tuesday.
That Berlin and Toxic believe the in
vasion is imminent has been plainly in
dlcated all week. In fact the week be-
fore. Axis and neutral sources told of
heavy convoy of transports guarded by
three of Britains mightiest battleships.
aircraft carriers and numerous smaller
ships had left Gibraltar and headed
eastward into the Mediterranean.
Tuesday the Vichy radio which is one
Of the outlets for German propaganda
stated that the great amount of activity
at Gibraltar and in Algerian waters un-
douhtedly forecasts early invasion of
Sardinia and Sicily. There are many
possible routes from various North
African ports to places on the continent
all of which are populated by people
who would welcome freedom from the
Nazi yoke.
Capt. Ludwig Sertorius. the German
military expert who broadcasts over the
Berlin radio, pointed out Tuesday that
the great mass of Allied reserves have
been held out of the Tunisian campaign
and are ready for use elsewhere He
predicted an attack on the italian is
lands, from one of which. Sicily. short
toe of the Italian boot
The fall of Italy is anticipated in Axis
circles. No less an authority than Carlo
ScorZa, secretary OF
We Must foll the Fascist Party
With Dignity" and thus Charlie
Mccarthy for Mus
solini, admitted this probability Thurs
day in a speech to Fascist leaders il
Rome. He added fine curtain line bv
declaring dramatically should We fall
we must fall with honor and dignity"
The fate of Bizerte and Tllnis was
sealed last Monday when the American
I'd Army Corps captured Mateur and
opened two paths, one north to Ferryville
and Bizerte and the other south toward
Tunis which was menaced by the British
lst Army moving from Medjez ell Bah
and the French before Pont du Fahs
From then on, the Allied air force long
range artillery and tanks pushed a
devastating attack which quickly broke
the enemys resistance and sent him
reeling back toward the two ports which
themselves were taken Friday.
The roads from Bizerte to the noun
tain range which runs from the coast
southwesterly between Bizerte and
Tunis were clogged with fleeing Axis
soldiers endeavoring to get into the hills
for final resistance. They were under
constant haraSsment from the air and
many prisoners were taken by pursuing
ground forces who found them badly
shocked and shaking from the terrific
blasting which they had received after
the fall of Mateur.
The balance of the enemy are in an
area extending from below Tunis to a
point inland north of Pont du Fahs
which was taken by the French yester-
day, one Of Frances most precious holi-
days, Joan Of Arc Day, then back to the
coast north of Enfidaville where the
British 9th Army is tuning up for fresh
offensives in heavy force.
1t is anticipated that the Axis troops
will fall back to the peninsula extending
up to Cape Bon which is only 80 miles
from Sicily. Here in the long coastal
mountain range they will make their
final stand as they await efforts to
evacuate them across the sea or until
exhaustion of supply and strength brings
about final surrender.
The evacuation, If the Axis seeks to
emulate the British success at Dunkirk,
will be rendered tremendously difficult
because of the presence of overwhelm-
ing Allied airpower and substantial naval
strength and because of the devastating
attacks by long-range bombers which
for weeks have been pounding Italian
ports On the mainland and on Sardinia
and Sicily.
AS late as Friday, 25 Italian ships and
two destroyers were sunk by bombers in
the Straits of Sicily and
Are Sunk for weeks the story has
Is Ships followed that pattern.
The losses of German
aircraft, particularly huge transport
planes have reached into tremendous