Evening star., 1943-02-01
Air Battles Accompany
Bitter Action; Axis
Loses l9 Planes

forward in three sectors of Tu
nisia against heavy Axis opposi
ton, mainly in the direction o
Maknassy, an Allied spokesman
announced today at Allied head
quarters in North Africa.
Aerial battles accompanied tn
bitter ground action which may lea
to the long-awaited general often
sive and the final battle for Nortl
Africa. The air fighting was Off
cially reported to have cost tn
Germans 10 planes, against los
Of Allied aircraft.
At the same time, a Cairo com
munique announced occupation o
Zuara, IS miles west of Tripoli. b,
the British 9Th Army, the main body
OF which Is rolling forward agar
today less than IS miles from the
Tunisian frontier.
Six Tanks Wiped Out.
British forces in Tunisia wipee
out six German tanks in repelling 8
Nazi attack in the Robaa area
southwest of Pont Du Fahs, two OF
them 52-ton Mark Wis equipped
with 88-millimeter guns and finch
armor, it was announced.
A Reuters dispatch to London
spoke of this engagement as "a
vigorous action" Farther south,
Reuters said, two American counter
attacks against German positions
were repulsed, but the American
attacks continue"
Supported by fighters and bomb
ers, United States troops sought to
regain Faid Pass, which the Germans
captured during a 6-mile advance
Saturday in region about 60 miles
west Of Sfax. They met heavy artil-
lery and dive bomber opposition at
the western end of the pass, the
spokesman said, and the Germans
still held the position during fighting
last night.
Thrust Toward Maknassy.
Two American columns thrust to-
ward the road and rail town of Max
nassy, 33 miles from the Gulf of
Gabes and 80 miles south of the
Faid Pass battle-ground.
One force moved south from Sidi
Bouzid and the other eastward from
q point northeast Of Gafsa.
The Sidi Bouzid combat unit en-
gagged a German force along the
road toward Maknassy, both using
armor on small scale and with |
indecisive results at the end of the |
days fighting. the. spokesman said.
Northeast of : Gafsa the east
bound combat unit came up against |
heavily-reinforced German detach-
ments at the town of Sened.
"At least one American reconnais- |
sance unit bypassed Sened and it
is too early to tell yet what the re-
suit of this action will be-" the !
spokesman said
Constant Air Sweeps.
Over these battle areas American
and Raj fighters engaged in con-
slant sweeps, meeting considerable
opposition from German air squad
rcns.
In a sweep near Pont Du Fahs
Spitfires shot down three Messer-
shmitt l09's without loss, while
Hurricane bombers caught a Ger
man armored detachment as it was
unloading and blasted three tanks
and set some of the tank carriers
on fire.
BIZ Flying Fortresses accounted
for the biggest single toll of the
Nazi fighters, shooting down eight
in an attack on the Bizerte naval
base during which they sank a large
vessel and started fires in the dock
area.
In an attack on the Gabes air
drome B-26 Marauders scored a
number Of hits among 40 light air.
craft and set six Nazi transport
planes afre In the resulting dog
fight one B-26 was said to have shot
down three Messerschmitt l09s anc
the P-38 Lightning escort accounted
for two more. Two P-38s were lost
While escorting B-26s on a sweep
a P-38 also destroyed two ME-1l0s
American fighters shot down one
NdZl plane over llle DdtIic ZOllco dIiI
lost three of their own aircraft.
Buildings Destroyed.
Boston bombers, operating in clos
support of ground forces, destroyed
six buildings and water tank cas-
of Faid Pass on the railroad, Will
other Bostons hit the railroad ant
buildings at Mezzouma, II mile
from Maknassy.
The Cairo communiQue also an
nounced the sinking of an Italian
submarine.
In the land fighting there was ;
series of minor engagements in Cen
tral Tunisia in which infantry, tank
and artillery were employed, tn
communique said
Yesterday our bombers again at
tackled the docks at Bizerte, startin
large fires" it announced. The air
field at Gabes was bombed and
number of enemy planes were de
stroyed on the ground. ''' Five o
our aircraft are missing"
The italian submarine was cred
tied to the Canadian corvette Por
= y.