Evening star., 1943-03-23
American Forces Take Maknassv
Reach Point 81 Miles From Coast:
British Are ar Inside Mareth Line
Advancing Allies
Within so Miles
Of Junction
MAP on Page A-3.)
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
American armOred forces have
captured Maknassy in a slash
toward the sea to cut Axis COM
munications, a communique from
Allied headquarters in North
Africa announced today, and
field reports said parts of the
British 9Th Army had swept in
wide arc around the Mareth
Line and were now many miles
inside it.
While the Americans, under 1t
Gen. George S.. Patton, jr., stabbed
to within about 81 miles of the
Gulf of Gabes, continuing east past
Maknassy, other forces of Gen. Sir
Bernard L. Montgomery 9th Army
swung mighty frontal blow at
Marshal Erwin Rommels Mareth
Line.
The German radio in a broadcast
recorded in London acknowledged
that United States forces had
pushed east of Maknassy, but
claimed that they had been halted
in the mountains at an undisclosed
point.
An AlgierS radio report indicated
that British 9Th Army troops were
now about 60 miles from a junction
with American forces, and suggested
that Rommels escape corridor" to
tho f,nrth 1,oI hon,l ~ n
score of miles.
The Allied communique said the
opera tions there we're going ahead
on schedule despite a bitter contest
being put up by Axis forces which
yesterday attempted powerful
counterattack. This was repulsed.
The announcement said 1,700 Axis
prisoners were captured in this
operation by midday yesterday.
Strong Nazi Concentration.
The force which swung in a sweep
Ing movement around the south
western flank Of the Mareth Line
now faced a strong German con-
centration of tanks and artillery at
Ell HANNA, 20 miles directly west
of Gabes.
Allied air forces yesterday smash
ed fiercely at this concentration, the
communlque announcing that at
least 80 enemy tanks were hit and
at least nine of them destroyed.
All indications were that the Ger
mans would make desperate effort
to prevent Gen. Patton'S armored
this morning there were all the
signs of big counterattack impend-
ing in this sector.
Gen. Patton's column which had
branched off from Gafsa to Ell Cue
tar was now moving along on the
southerly road into Maknassy and
toward Mezzouna.
Reports from the American front
this morning said the Germans had
rushed up armored forces in a des-
perate effort to keep open the mar
rowing coastal shelf.
Most OF the prisoners captured by
Gen. Montgomery were Germans.
Complicated Trench System.
The 9th Army units which launched
the coastal attack along a six-mile
front had now fought their way
across the Wadi Zigzaou northeast
of Mareth and through a compG-
Gated trench system supported by
CroSS-flre from machine gun posts
which had been prepared to REIN
force the Mareth Line.
Allied strategy appeared directed
at breaking Axis forces into two or
three pockets. Gen. Montgomery
pursuing the methods he used at Ell
Alamein in Egypt, was attempting
a smash through near the coast
which would nip off the island end
of the Mareth Line. His flanking
arm was attempting to get behind
the whole line. while the Americans
threatened to wedge in to the coast
farther north.
A British radio correspondent S
broadcast said the British 1O0-mile
flanking movement had been eX-
pected by Rommel and had been
met 10 miles south of Ell HANNA by
strongly prepared positions defended
by mine fields, anti-tank bitches
ana concentrations of troops and
machines.
Complicated Trench System.
Gen. Montgomery's coastal drive,
the correspondent added. met with
a deep and difficult wadi defended
by complicated trench system and
machlne-gun posts which had to be
mopped up. However, this obstacle
was reported crossed, and the Brit
iSh were said now to be attacking a
strongly-held ridge.
The German communiuue claimed
the Allies were repulsed "at several