The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-05-10
Tunisian Prisoners
Total Over 100000
Continued from Page u

!
Continued
enemy resistance not far from the
town OF Hammam Lif, in an area
about Is niles southeast of Tunis
at the base of Cap Bon peninsula
A dispatch from Ned Russell
United Press correspondent with
the First Army, said that heavy
tank battle was in progress there
Sunday night and the Germans APP
peared to be falling back.
But front dispatches showed there
was no place for the enemy to fall
back except for n last stand in the
hills as the British feet and the
Allied air force had the peninsula
cut off on all sides.
A message from an advance air
force base said that on the eve OF
the third anniversary Of the British
evacuation of Dunkirk the Germans
and Italians were finding 1t impos-
sible to escape by sea except IN rare
instances and we're beginning 10
surrender.
1, One message said that Germans
In small boats and barges were way
Ing white flags Of surrender. In
Vulnerable small boats were bombed
or shot up and sunk or set aflre
and many survivors were seen cling
Ing to wreckage. Inland the Allied
pilots said they saw many enemy
vehicles burning after heavy air
attacks which broke up the progress
of Axis troops toward the Cap Bon
beaches,
ArmiStice Asked
The German surrender to the
American second corps In north
TuniSia was one Of the most CALLING
of the war for the enemy. Sur
rounded, cut up and with soldiers
surrendering In many small groups,
the German divisional commander,
Mai, Gen KrauSe, asked for an
armistice AT II n. n, Sunday. MAJ.
Gen. Omar N. Bradley, new com
mander Of the second corps, replied
with demand for unconditional
surrender and immediate accept
ance Of his terms.
He added that all destruction OF
Axis equipment must cease imme-
diately.
In his unconditional surrender
demand, Bradley put into practice
the formuat laid down by Presi-
dent Roosevelt and British Prime
Minister winston Churchill MT the
| Faeahlonou npn fapanan
Krause accepted and all resistance
ceased by p. m. IN all six enemy
generals have been captured so Tar.
But heavy fighting southeast OF
Tunis and IN the hills along what
was formerly the southern front was
still In progress, especially east OF
Zaghouan and at the base OF Cap
Bon peninsula.
The Hermann Gocring division
was holding the main barrier TO
Cape Bon IN the Hannah Lif posi-
ton and was also ilercely resisting
attacks by British tanks two miles
east of Crcteville which Is IN the
same zone but inland. The British
tanks we're fighting TO break through
to the plain around Souliman at the
foot of the high mountains which
lie across the base Of the peninsula.
II they can break through, they
will cut of the enemy forces to the
southwest Gin the Haghouan area)
by pushing through TO Hammanct
on the south coast OF Cap Bon.
French Push Eastward
The French. aided by a few Brit
ish armored cars, entered zaghouan
Sunday morning and pushed cast
ward, hopping up the last enemy
pockets In that sector. On the Emf
daville sector TO the south, the Brit
iSh Eighth Army patrols again were
pressing forward but there was nc
important progress.
There seemed TO be no choice FOL
the axis forces but TO fight on IN tho
mountains OF Cap Bon Peninsula
where II was estimated that thu
enemy had the remnants Of the 10Th
; 18th and Dist panzer divisions 81
well as the Goth and l64th light m
fantry divisions and some Italian
troops. Some OF the 10th and 18Th
divisions armor, however, had beer
trapped In the north by the Ameri'
cans,
There was still no wholesale at
tempt at evacuation from Cap BOZ
although many small boats at
| tempted 10 get away and most o
them were sunk
In the north there was still SOM
hopping up work In progress bu
/ thousands Of enemy troops werv
moving into prisoners pens.
! Can italian communique broad
| cast by the Rome radio said tina
axis troops trapped between TIN
American and British armies south
| east Of Bizerte had ceased fighting.
(DNB, official German news agen'
. cy, said In Berlin broadcast tina
resistance between Tunis and Biz
ertc had been broken by the heay.
Anglo American attacks)
The fleeing enemy left behlnC
large quantities Of war material, tn
Communique said.
Bitter fighting stu was In pro
greSs around the bulge protecting
the entrance 10 Cap Bon. Crushing
the axis forces into this small arei
we're three British First Army driy'
Ing around the bend In the PENN
stlla some IS miles southeast o
Tlinis, American and British troop
southwest Of Tunis, French force
In the zanhouan sector farthei
south and the British Eighth Arm,
at the extreme southern eide.
The hardest fighting NJ the mo
ment was at high hill known a
Djebel Bou Kourninc, south o
Hammam II and about 10 mile
southeast OF Tunis. The Britisl
Sixth Arniorcd Division had cap