The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-03-08
Allied Africa Drive
 Faced Many Hazards
ampalgn to Force Axis From Country Ahead of
 Schedule Despite Recent Setback

blanca, Algiers and PhillppeviIIe, the Allies decided to take . long shot gamble. Their objectives became Tunis and Bizerte. The attempts to take them were ill-prepared and there was too little equipment. They failed.
 Actually, they failed by the mar. rowest margin. The first units of Americans who went ashore at Philippeville worked their way to hone and advanced in considerable strength tc Medjez-el.Bab (27 miles southwest of Tunis), where they en- countered their first real opposition.
 Lack of air support and supply difnculties also slowed the Ameri- cans. Rain and mud begged the British first army down.
 While the first army advanced roughly l50 miles east through wild mountain country toward Bizerte and Tunis, other forces, chiefly American and French, swung south and southeastward to reach Tebessa, Feriana and Fafsa early in January.
 Their progress resulted in a con- templated plan to drive 0 wedge across the Axis bridgehead sorne- where between Gabes and Sousse. Patrols made quick jabS, but lack of men and equipment, plus long lines of supply again forestalled any genuine drive.
 Rommel. by this time, had ar- rived in Tunisia ahead of the Brit ish Eighth Army. Heat and mount ing Axis strength all combined to make the Allies call off their push to the coast.
 The French pleaded to hold the Ousseltia Valley line, extending 100 to 12S miles northeast to south west. They clung bravely to their positions, but did not have the mechanized equipment or firepower to cope with the Axis, especially after Rommel got his Asrika Korps across the Tunisian border from Libya.
 The French had little more than rifles, and when Rommel mounted sufficient power to attack the Ous- seltia line, the French were forced to retire.
 Many positions were filled by Americans, who never had been under fire. And besides, Allied lines were so long and their forces so thinly spread 1t was impossible to prevent Rommel from making good sized incursions from the Faid Pass-Sened area.
 Rommel, master tactician, threw out dozens of little sortie jabs to keep the Allies constantly consolidating their positions. In many instances, the Allies didn't get good positions for their guns, or nave time to mount and cam ouflage them.
 It was an old Rommel trick, to squeeze the maximum out of his assets.
 The Germans and Italians poured men and material into Tu- nisia from Sicily. Sardinia, Italy and Tripolltania, by plane, glider, ship and barge.
 They fully used their experience in the campaigns against Crete and Norway.
 The Axis quickly moved into the best positions, and took over French Notifications which they extended and strengthened.
 Rommel, in the meantime, had got new tanks, guns and planes rushed to the ports of Sousse and Qabes.
 He probably is willing to commit his last man and piece of equip ment trying to keep the Axis on the continent of Africa.
 The Axis has attacked since then, in central Tunisia, northern Tu- nisia and against British forces before the Mareth lima But so far, nothing has substantially hurt Allied plans for showing the Ger mans and Italians into the sea.