Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-01-30
U. 5. Troops Capture
Two Hills in Tunisia
Without Firing Shot
Italian Force Surrenders;
Axis OusseItiu Drive
Halted by Night Attack
BY HAROLD v. BOYLE.

Associated Press War Correspondent.
WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY
ON THE TUNISIAN FRONT. Jan,
26 fDelayeO Without firing a shot
or losing a man, American infantry
men in pre-dawn assault today
charged 1000 feet up slippery slopes
with a waning moon glinting on
fixed bayonets and seized the twin
heights commanding the road to
Kairouan.
The night attack, after day-long
artillery barrage and infantry in
filtration, caught the italian gar
risons compile Sely by surprise and
they surrendered without a struggle.
The American occupation of the
two rugged hills-Djebel Tefifila
and Hir Ell Jarouil-left the Allies
in control of the western end of a
pass to Kairouan and threw back
on its heels a week-old Axis drive
down the Ousseltia valley, Uttered
with ruins where in bygone CEN
turtles the Romans once set their
stamp Of empire.
Attack Held Amazing.
The most amazing feature of the
attack was that an operation of
such size and Importance was made
without the loss of a single Amer
lean soldier and with only a few
wounded, reports said.
The commanding officer, a Nor
folk (Va) colonel, praised the ar
tillery for "a wonderful job of sup
port"
ut was the best night attack I
have ever SEEN" said Capt. c.
Clough, jr., of Saugerties, N. Y. 1--WE
went In there with bang so fast the
Italians were too surprised to fire,
and put up no defense.
I'VE went up there itching to use
our bayonets but they didn't give
us an excuse to use them. They
had the approaches to the hills full
OF mines and BOBBY traps, but didn't
kill any of our men,"
The Italians were members of q
crack division. They said they had
been without food for three days.
They complained the German Army
had pulled out, leaving them to hold
the entrance to the pass alone, and
that many of their own officers had
left them the night before the at
tack.
American officers said they ex-
pected to round up 200 or 300 pris-
oners by the time mopping-up OPP
erations had been completed.
Most Of those taken were quite
young and their uniforms were rag
ged and torn.
Among the junior officers who led
the troops into combat was a WASH
ington Cd. Co. lieutenant.
In a tour of the battle area with
Dave Rame, British newspaper cor
respondent, / saw many wrecked
Axis vehicles and artillery pieces in
the valley.
On one road was the wreckage of
car previously driven by William
Stoneman, Chicago Daily News cor
respondent, who suffered minor
hip wound when the Germans ma
chine-gunned his vehicle and set it
afire several days ago.
Mine Smashes Jeep.
+ A few minutes later we heard an
explosion on the side of the road
rs yards to the left and saw plume
of black smoke rising from a jeep
smashed by road mine.
We found a young lieutenant lying
several feet from the jeep, lucky to
be alive. He had broken leg.
This would have to happen to
me-" he said as other soldiers put
splints on his leg.
The right front wheel of the jeep
had been blown of and the motor
ripped to bits by the blast.
The Americans had a field day
toy-riding down the roads in Italian
three-wheeled motorcycles, num-
Der of which were included in the
substantial stores of Axis equipment
taken in the victory.