The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-03-29
ROmlmeI Forced to Abam-
don Defense Positions
Behind Mareth Line
BRITISH TAKE MATMATA,
n MILES FROM GABES
Afrikan KOrps Pressed Re.
lentlessIy to Sea; Eighth
Army Captures 6,OOO
BY VIRGIL PINKLEY
UNITED Press Staff COrrespOndeutl


United Press Staff Correspondent
Allied Headquarters, North
Africa, March 90. - (UP)-
The pressure of an Allied
thanking movement behind
the Mareth Line has forced
Marshal Erwin Rommel to
abandon his defense posi-
tons there and the British
Eighth Army, smashing
through the notifications
has rolled on to capture Matmata,
only % miles from the big Axis base
OF Gabes.
All along the Tunisian battlefront.
even in the far north where the
British First Army has been btd-
ing It's time, the Allies were on tina
march. American forces continued
TO advance eastward from FL Guet-
tar, and, altogether, there were six.
columns pressing the Afrika Korps
relentlesSly toward the sea.
5000 Prisoners
General Sir Bernard l.. MontgoIil-
ery's Eight. Army veterans, after
chipping away at the Mareth Line
for 10 days under the protection OF
Mighty Aerial Umbrella, finally
broke through the north-central
section Of the Notifications. BY
yesterday the Eighth Army had in
creased the total Of its prisoners to
5000. and the British we're swinging
northward to strike at Gabes.
The towns of Mareth, Toujane
and Matmata, all on roads leading
to Gabes, fell to Montgomery.
But a thanking column. which
Montgomery sent swinging around
the southern end Of the Mareth line
more than a week ago. claimed q
Ions share Of the victory. It was
this threat to his rear as much
as the pressure of the Eighth Army
in frontal assault. that caused ROM
mel to decide to withdraw. At pres
ent he is in full retreat toward the
l2-mile bottle-neck above GabeS
where Cnott Djerid (Salt LakeD
thrustS long arm toward the sea.
Thus race developed between the
retreating German-Italian forces
and American columns pressing
eastward In Central TuniSia. The
Americans were attempting to jam
a stopper in the bottleneck before
Rommel could get his arl1lor and
infantry through it and retreat on
northward for a junctlre with the
forces of Col. Gen. Jurge Won Arnim
who holds the bridge-head at Tunis
and Bizerte.
Axis losses in tanks, guns, veht-
cles and men we're heavy. Rommeg
put up a stern fight against the
British thanking column, which slug
ged its way through rough terrain
and against strongly -empiaced en-
envy artillery. The progress mas
been slow for week, but the steady
pressure finally broke Rommel's
strategic plans and he ordered o
withdrawal.
Just at that time the Eighth Army
hit the Mareth line with a heavy
air and land attack, and the de-
lenses crumbled. The veterans Of
the Eighth Army. victors in the
long running fight from FL AlameiKi
to Tripoli. once more were IN pur-
suit of the Afrika Korps.
The through at tie Marcel
line put the Eighth Army on a vide
plain, dotted with olive grooves that
leads to Gabes.
1900 Population
The town of Gabes. witt, q norlEaf
population of 1000 civilians. ras
converted by Rommel into enc 81
his chief bases on the cas-. err ccsgt
OF Tunisia. 1t is surToundea By
an oasis which. in recent wesks,
has been converted into ar armed
camp. The main barracks and
camps are located in the soutr IN
section Of the town. but lately ey
have been taking severe mau 7g
from Anied pilots, ard it IL IN =
tain whether enoue J installed q
remain there TO permit Romme 10
hattenpt stand.
ut was officially reported n
Cairo that the main ailpcr 10
tCOntinueC Oh Pare -