Evening star., 1943-05-13
A||iedTroops MoppingU Up Tunisia
As Airmen Strike Across Straits;
Heaviest Raid Blasts Duisbur1
Prisoner Total
May Rise to
Near 175,000'
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN
NORTH AFRICA, May 13.-Allied
mopping up parties hunted the
last ragged remnants of Hitler's
African armies in Tunisia today
to round out a victory which
Gen. Sir Harold Alexander said
was "one of the most complete
and decisive in history"
A military spokesman estimated
that the prisoners would total near
$4,000 when the last of the holdout
detachments were rounded up in the
offensive launched May 5.
All organized resistance had ended
The Allied Air Force, with no more
targets in North Africa, moved its
aerial offensive across the Mediter-
ranean.
Won Arnim Among Prisoners.
German and Italian armies were
crushed and their commander in
chief, Col. Gen. Jurgen Won Arnim,
was among the 10000 captives al
ready counted.
At least Is Axis generals were in
the bag.
Among these was Gen. Giovanni
Messe-Whom the Rome radio iden-
titled as marshal and commander
of the Italian 1st Army.
Messe was one of the last to hold
out in the southern pocket. Called
on to yield. he refused to surrender
to any but his old opponents in the
British 9th Army That formality
was arranged.
1t was reported here, but not con-
flrmed, that one of the sons in law
of King Victor Emanual of Italy
was fighting under Messe and sur
rendered with him.
Won Arnim was cornered by the
4th Indian Division near Ste Marie
du Zit, midway between Tunis and
Enfidaville and on the approaches to
the Cap Bon Peninsula.
The small pockets of enemy SOL
diers who fought on either had not
heard about the general debacle or
preferred to remain in action de-
spite the surrender of their COM
mander.
Allied armies dropped their final
bomb in Africa at midmornins yes
terday. 1t was dropped by the
Desert Air Force, which loosed its
first one June IL. 1910, on Tobruk
the day after Italy entered the war
No Letup in Air Attacks.
But the Air Force announced
there would be no letup 1t means
merely that its attacks will be con-
centrated across the Mediter-
ranean.
Enemy resistance collapsed sud-
denly yesterday in the area of Tag
houan, % miles south of Tunis. The
Allied communique announced that
French troops, centering attacks
in that area, had captured more
than $4,000 prisoners in the final
48 hours of combat.
Naval forces, which played an i'm
portant part in the final stages of
the battle by preventing the es-
cape of defeated Axis soldiers by
boat. continued to patrol the coast
of Cap Bon Peninsula. During the
last few days naval vessels have
captured various craft bound for
Pantelleria or Sicily.
CThe italian nigh command an
nounced today trat the italian
lst Army, headed by Marshal
Messe, ceased fighting this
morning by order of Premier
Mussolini. The communique,
broadcast from Rome and
recorded by the Associated Press,
said that to this army fell the
honor of the last Axis resistance
on African soil
Ut was the first time that
Messe, 59-year-olo infantry spe-
cialist, had been referred to as
marshal. This suggested a last
minute promotion from general
by Mussolini, Just as Hitler
elevated Gen. Friedrich Won
Paulus to field marshal last Jan
uary few hours before his
divisions surrendered to the Red
Army at StalingradD
German and Italian troops we're
taken yesterday morning from zem-
bra Island. II miles west of Cap
Bon it WAS annolInce6
Sicilian Port Blasted.
Large fires were started by We'll
'lington bombers in the dock area of
the Sicllian port of Marsala Tues
day night, an Allied communiuue
said. Light and medium bombers
made the raids on the holdout enemy
positions in TuniSia.
Three planes were reported miss
Ing from these offensive thrusts.
Last night enemy bombers at
tempted an attack on the Algiers
area" the communique said. They
were driven off by anti aircraft
guntire and night fighters, at least
three enemy aircraft being de-
stroyed The few bombs dropped
caused a very small number of
casualties and slight damage to
civilian property"
(The German high command,
(See AFRICA, Page A-18D