The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-04-09
British Torpedo
 Two German Ships
tcontinued from Page D

Erwin Rommel's retreating Africa Corps on the road to SfaX. The ad- vance of the Eighth Army, whicl, has now joined forces with the Americans from the central front had progressed more than l5 miles north of the Wadi Akarit and was striking past Skhirra toward Grai- ba, which is only a little more than 30 miles from Sfax.
 Doubt Prevails
 There was considerable doubt whether RommeL harried by Allied air attacks which cost him many vehicles, could make another big scale stand south of Sousse, almost 100 miles north of Graiba. The Eighth Army already had taken o. 800 prisoners since they brake through the Wadi Akarit defenSe line, 20 miles north of Cabes, to- days communlque from headQuar- terS of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower said.
 On the central front, American forces under Lieut.. Gen. George s, Patton, Jr., were mopping up the hilly region east of Fl Guettar, where they also took a considerable number of prisoners, the communi- que said.
 A dispatch from Phil Ault, United Press Correspondent with Patton's forces, said that the Americans who fought on Djebel Berda for II days with almost no sleep were get- ting some rest after cleaning out enemy pockets of resistance in the hills.
 Ault reported that many hum dreds of Italian prisoners had been brought ir by Marines and that the Italians often grinned and held up their fingers in the Allied V-for- Victory sign as they passed through to the rear bases.
 The Americans also still were pressing into the enemy flank on the Maknassy sector, where they have driven to the Mezzouna area less than 70 miles from the sea in one of several efforts to cut off Rommel's line of retreat northward.
 Throughout yesterday there was hard fighting for two mountains near Mezzouna as well as for Mali zila Pass, north of Maknassy. There was no confirmation of reports that the Allies in the south at present runs roughly from MaknaSSy toward Mahares, near Graiba, but 1t was not known officially here whether Mahares-toward which the Eighth Army is driving on the coastal road had fallen yet.
 In the northernmost sector of Tunisia, the British First Army un- der Lieut.. Gen. K. A. N. Anderson, aided by French native soldiers, still was hammering the enemy in exceedingly rough country that made progress slow. Several im- portant tactical localities were Gap~ tured however on a short fighting front beween Eseja and Medjez Fl Bab, where the Allies advanced four or five miles yesterday. More than 400 additional prisoners were taken in that zone.
 30 Miles From Tunis
 The First Army's advanced forces at several points in the north are about 90 miles from Tunis and per- haps 70 miles from Bizerte, but everywhere the enemy was being driven into 8 narrowing corridor along the sea.
 Most of the Allied air strength, was centered in the southern part of Tunisia in the last 24 hours, due to less favorable weather in the north.
 Gen. Sir Harold Alexander, com- manding the Allied forces in Tu. nisia, warmly praised the fighting qualities of the Eighth Army, the 2nd American Corps, the French and the Moroccan Goums when he talked to newspapermen.
 Alexander singled out the Ameri- cans under Patton for special praise saying they drew of the bulk oi Rommel's army and facilitated the break through by the Eighth Army at Wadi Akarit.
 The communique emphasized that steady air attacks on Rommel were being pressed by both Americans and British.
 On the night of April 7.8. the communique said, Wellington bomb- CTS attacked Axis communications and transport columns near Sfax and one explosion was noted in the marshalling yards ct that point.
 Attacks by bombers and fighter bombers on enemy troops and vehi- cIes TetreatinV ln snasthAra wAaSiAia