Evening star., 1943-04-10
Allies Advance
earFondouk;;
1st Army Gains
New Threat to Axis
Rear Shapes Up in
Central Tunisio
BULLETIN.

BULLETIN.
LONDON lP,.-A French
communique broadcast by the
Algiers radio and recorded by
the Associated Press tonight
said French forces had ad- y
vanced more than miles in
Central Tunisia in the area .
north of Pichon and in the
Djebel Zela, which COM
mands the plain of Kairouan." Y
BY the Associated Press
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN
NORTH AFRICA. April 1O.-The
British 9th Army occupied Sfax,< =
Marshal Erwin Rommels key
base and supply port in Central
Tunisia, at BIS am. today after
routing enemy opposition.
In fleeing Sfax. second largestv
city in Tunisia, with populat ton
of more than $4,000, Rommel ap-s q
peared to be surrendering all OF
Central Tunisia and headed for a.
new mountain defense line in the
Enfidaville area, only 40 miles south
of Tunis
The British pursuit was being
pressed by four divisions, plus.
armor.
American lightning fighters shot
down q enemy planes in an attack<
on big transport formation carry
ing fuel to the embattled Axis forces,
it was announced =
GA Morocco radio broadcast,
recorded in London, said planes
from aircraft carriers were bomb
ing the coastal road)
Driving forward with crushing
speed, the veterans of Gen. Sir
Bernard L. Montgomery gained
about 40 miles in "a hours, occupying,
Mahares, so miles north of Gabes,
and continuing on today to Sfax,
which is about $50 miles south Of
| Tunis.
At the same time British, Ameri-
! launched successful new attacks in
| the central and northern sectors.
Today's communique from Gen.
/ Dwight D. Eisenhowers head
quarters said the British LIST Army,
again had advanced, and had
marked up a 10-mile gain in the
last four days in the Medjez-El-Bab.
area of Northern TuniSia
Pichon Is Occupied.
Americans of 1t. Gen. George S.
Patton, jr., and French combined to
capture high ground north andv
south of Fondouk, occupying Pichon.
north of Fondouk, and cleaning out
that area so miles northwest Of
Sfax, where new threat to the Axis
rear appeared to be shaping up. ~
The British 1st Army had taken
1000 prisoners since beginning its
offensive April and the Americans
and French captured 500 more in
their advance in the central sector,
the communique disclosed. This
brought Axis prisoners to more than
10000 since the beginning of the.
Mareth Line battle.
Hurled back at all points where
Allied attacks were made, the Axis
was able to put but scant opposition
in the air, and Allied pilots reported y
that German bomber crews bailed
out at the approach of Allied fight
ers, without even shot being fired.s
Caught in the rush of British and
American forces from the south and
the side was Gen. Mannerini, COM
mander of an Italian Saharan group,
who was taken prisoner at his head->
quarters when he was cut off by the
| juncture of the United States 2nd
Army Corps and the British 8thv
Army.
Retreat Nearly a Rout.
While the Rommel withdrawal
still was too methodical to be called
a rout, the speed with which thes
Axis forces we're retreating made it
nearly so.
The 9th Army's vehicles were%
rushing ahead so fast that, for the
first time, Rommel's sappers had
little or no time to plant mines to-
delay the pursuit.
Tooay's communique, Announcing
the occupation of Mahares, said
British advance elements still were
fighting the Axis rearguard of in-s
fantry and tanks, however.
After being driven from the Wadi
Ell Akarit line 20 miles north Of
Gabes. it was disclosed today, ROM
mel pulled his men back to a bot-x
tleneck between the sea and the
Sebkret En- Noual salt marsh west
of La Skhirra and stood in that po-s
sition Is miles north of Ell Akarit
until Thursday morning.
Gen. Montgomery attacked and a.
tank battle was fought southeast Of
the swampy lake that morning. =
The enemy froces withdrew and
| by late afternoon had formed a
screen around Mezzouna to the
northwest on the road from Maxi
nassy to Mahares in a desperate
| attempt to prevent the Americans
in the Maknassy area from cutting
them off in an attack on their rear.
Another Battle in Afternoon.
That afternoon another battle in
which both sides used tanks, and the
Germans relied also on anti-tank
guns, was fought southeast of Mez-
zouna. =
Rommel's Mark vi Tiger tanks.
Weighing so tons, were thrown in
but to no avail. Axis forces againl
were defeated.
That night the Afrika Korps beAS
gan another withdrawal to a newl
line between Sfax and Sidi Aguareb.
IA miles to the southwest, but the<
entire defense south of Sfax COL
| tSee AFRICA, Page A-40 =