Evening star., 1943-04-22

Ten enemy aircraft were destroyed
during the day by the North African
squadrons, while four Allied planes
failed to return from all operations.
American and British-manned
flghter-bombers of the western des-
ert air force attacked barges in the
Gulf of Tunis, and shot down three
Axis fighters which attempted to
intercept them.
Other Air Victories.
Spitflres shot down two Meser-
schmitt 109s and probably destroyed
another during dawn sweep across
Axis landing fields in the area of
Tunis and Polish combat squadron
attached to the British also downed
Messerschmitt. Other air victories
of the day were in scattered fights.
Intruder patrols took off from
Malta to attack railway trains of
Southern Italy and Sicily again.
Belatedly. the communique report
ed the destruction of four additional
Axis planes Tuesday night.
The preceding night, small unit
OF light coastal forces, patroling the
coast near the naval base of Biz
erte, encountered a number of Ger
man E-boats and attacked One of
the small enemy vessels was hit and
an explosion was seen, after which
the craft withdrew under smoke
screen, and other enemy ships also
were hit before they retired, the
coiI ioL
returned to their base without casu-
alties.
Tuesday night Allied naval forces
sank a small enemy supply ship
northeast of Sicily, the communique
said.
Naples Raided Again.
Heavy bombers of the Raj at
tackled the Italian port OF Naples
again Tuesday night, scoring hits on
docks and in the town area and
starting two fires near oil installa-
tions, Cairo communique an
nounced
From these and other operations
all our aircraft returned safely" the
bulletin said.
cine German COmmunlQue, re-
porting the action in the Medjez-
El-Bab sector, said German
forces attacked and achieved
their detectives" The communi-
que, recorded from the Berlin
radio by the Associated Press, said
Allied attacks on the southern
front were held by ''unshakeable"
Axis resistancel
Marshal Rommel's Axis troops
have dug themselves into a series
of elaborate Notifications along all
the approaches to Tunis and the
Allied drive to the sea seemed des-
tined to be slow and costly
Important positions on the fringes
of the mountain barrier defended by
Rommel already have fallen to the
British 9Th Army's experienced cam
paigners, who have inched forward
in the face of concentrated fire from
mortars and heavy machine guns.
But the 9Th Army now is attacking
In country where all the natural
features of the terrain favor the de-
| tenders.
"A l-ullle duFdIlC6 III The region
of Djebel Garci, 10 miles inland
from the coast. was made in very
severe fighting" and British forces
have driven miles northwest of
Enfidaville to encircle the mountain
citadel of Takrouna.
Apparently the bitterest fighting
has taken place on the slopes of
Djebel Garci, an important peak
which the Germans have sprinkled
literally with machine-gun nests
and deeply dug defensive positions.
Even after the Axis deep southern
defense line is pierced. there still
will remain the rugged heights of
| Djebel zaghcuan, the highest noun
tain in Tunisia. from which the
Germans could shell any movement
in the vicinity.
One factor favoring the Allied
forces was the domination of
Tunisia's skies by British and Amer
ican flyers.