The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-03-19
American Platoon
 Takes Gafsa Easily
Not One Shot Fired; Lack of Opposition Indicates
 ThOrOughness of Preparation for Invasion

Booth said his chaplain wanted to get into Gafsa in time for St. patrick's day Mass, but Gafsa fell at 1 D. m. too late for Mass.
 The fact the entry was not op- posed indicated the thoroughneSs of the preparation for this shown and evidence that the Axis is past fight ing for important objectives.
 Gafsa is not important, so the Axis withdrew without fighting. but leaving the usual booby traps and mines behind.
 As we left Gafsa late today, American light and heavy equip- ment and infantry were moving through the town to carry the fight eastward into the hills--or farther.
 The advance into Gafsa, except for occasional delays to clean up mines sudden reports of artillery behind us and an occasional plane overhead, might have been spring excursion into the fringes of Amer ica's southwest desert.
 We approached the town down Q broad asphalt road through scrubby semi desert countryside. Along the base of the weatherbeaten hills to the right, a long line of transport and infantry slowly pushed forward. Across the eroded plain to our left, 8 column of half track vehi- cles pushed along, ignoring two camels which wandered aimlessly in its path. Farther beyond, tank busters and trucks converged.
 Eve~S so often a little yellow lizard crossed the dusty road, The perfume of tiny, purple desert spring flowers filled the air.
 Ahead of us, the first groups of infantry moved into a saddle beside a hill known as the mouth of the goat" which guards the approaches to Gafsa. As we waited while the roads were cleared of mines, lis- tenIed to the radio of @ jeep.
 "The enemy is being shelled along Fl Guettar road" 1t said, laying mines as he retires."
 A tired soldier cursed mines.
 Just below the goats mouth, five American soldiers stood at the side of the road, looking at five pine crosses in a little graveyard, Each cross had German steel helmet at Its foot.
 At the entrance to the town, where the Germans had blown Q huge crater in the roadway, we de- toured through Arab huts and over goat tracks, lifting at least 10 mines.
 As the troops were ordered to rise and advance I heard one dusty soldier declare, wearily: Forty nine miles fore and I'm going to fall out"
 Gafsa has a sort of Beau Geste" desert fort, one end Of which had been demolished when the Amer jeans evacuated 1t Q month ago.
 It was almost empty today. Most of the Arabs had fled to the hills when the bombers came over and the few that remained or struggled in later said "hello," and begged cigarettes,
 I heard the same tired infantry man say: 'x'm going to swipe myself U uOIlkSy HUH OANS VI eASSS sAASes
 Between the American jumping off place and Gafsa l met 0 cross section of the United States.
 First there were lieutenants sam Center of Keene, N. H., and Wen del Boston of Augusta, Me, both employees of the New England Tele- phone Company before the war.
 They were searching the country side with crew of veteran tele.. phone men, picking up mines and getting poles for their lines,
 They were interested chiefly m how many mines they found, but Boston and I talked about Moose head Lake, where we both used to fish for land-locked Salmon-This Is a strange, tropical country where there's no running water let alone fish for miles around.
 It. Col. John Mathews, QS8 Clarkson St,) Bridgeport, Conn, fiddled with trench knife stuck in his belt while mines were being picked up, but he finally went in with the first units to enter the town.