The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-04-02
Patton S Army
Makes Steady
Progress
Weather Restricts
Air Action in
Tunisia

(By International News Service)
Britains first army, pressing
eastward across the northern tip
OF Tunisia, scored new advances
today toward the Axis held naval
base OF Blzerte and the capital of
Tunis.
Allied armies along the entire
200-mile front stretching southwark
TO the Gafsa-Gabes area maintained
heavy pressure on the Germans and
Italians In strong patrol actions.
The Algiers radio said that Lieut..
Gen. George s. Patton's American
forces driving eastward from El
Guettar toward Gabes had effected
It junction -~ith-tite sp~arh-nd of
the british eighth army pounding
northward along the coast road but
this was not substantlated by the
Official communique from Allied
headquarters Official confirmation
also was lacking in another report
BY the Algiers station which said
Gen. Sir bernard l.. Montgomery's
British troops were in contact with
the fleeing Afrika Korps % miles
north OF Gabes.
Steady Progress
II was fully expected. however,
that the time was not far distant
when link between the Ameri-
cans and British ut southern end
of the battlefront would be forged.
Latest dispatches from the front
said that Gen. Patton's army OF
tanks and infantrymen was making
steady progress eastward along the
Gafsa.Gabes road after crushing
Nazi Field Marshal Erwin Rom
ireis defenses east OF El Guettsr.
As Lieut.. Gen. Kenneth a. N. An
derson's first army advanced on
Bizerte from Sedjenane Allied
bombers scared over the naval
base TO blast docks along the water.
front.
Blast Airhelds
Poor weather restricted Allied air
assaults over a large part OF the
Tunisian front but American air.
men succeeded In blasting three air.
fields along the eastern coast and
carried out hghter.plane forays
against Axis troops and transport
columns from Fondouh south to FL
Guettar
A large force OF allied medium
and light bombers bombarded the
III Maon alriield at Sfax with goof
results. Light hombers started
fires in sorties against the enemy
landing fields at La Fouconnerie
and III Diem, lying between Gabes
and Sfax along the coast
Nine Axis planes were shot out
OF the air in dogfights while four
Allied craft failed to return from
these missions
The weight OF bombs being show
cred down upon the Germans and
Italians throughout the Mediter- .
ranean area was indicated in an
announcement from Cairo reveal
ing that the planes Of the ninth
United States Air Force alone plas.
tered the enemy with 100000
pounds of bombs during the month
OF March
'FRONT.' 0ulet
Action all along the vast Russian
front remained desultory except in
the west Caucasus where the Red
army pressed an offensive through
the Kuban territory. Three more
inhabited localities were recap
turcd from the Germans as the
Russian troops advanced in a cam
20 In ~ -
Black Sea naval base OF Novoros-
sisk. the Soviet high command an
nounced at noon
Only local actions were report
ed from the central front west OF
Moscow. Both the Russians and
Germans stabbed at each others
defenseS. The Soviet communique
said that att Nazt assaults had been
subdued while Russian troops made
Roadway on some sectors in the
drive toward tie large Nszi base
at Smolensk.
Reduced action also obtained on
the middle reaches OF the northern
Donets where the German counter
offensive has been brought to
standstill The Russians aeknow-
lodged further s#all-scale German
attacks but said all were repulsed.
Allied airmen in the Southwest
Pacific maintained assaults against
Jap bases north OF Australia. Three
new attacks were reported in to-
days communique from Gen. Dol-
glas MacArthur's headquarters.
The Jap-occupied Mubo area just
south OF their Salamaua base in
northeast New Guinea was bombed
and strafed by attacking planes
which left numerous fires burning
in the area. A new block was
struck at the docks in the harbor OF
Finschhafen while medium bomb
ers blasted Saumlaki in the Tenim-
Der Island group.
WASHINGTON ms - Presi-