The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-04-01
100 Fortresses Stud
 North Africa Raid
tContlnued from Page D

 perhaps % miles yet to go before . Junction with the British Eighth Army. American Tanks engaged irI the operation were delayed by heavy mine fields, which were regarded as Q sure sign that the Germans and Italians were withdrawing iron, that zone as Q result of Rommels failure to hold the 0abes bottle neck,
 (On Che sectors immediately north of El Guettar there was no official Allied report regarding operations in the MaknasSy and OuSSeltta areas, although Axis radio reports recent ly have told of growing offensive thrusts by the Allies apparently intended to cut of Rommel's line of retreat in 6 number of places.
 (Radio AlgierS reported today that "the moment Is now near" when Axis troops will be thrown Into the sea. Radio Morocco said that ships in the Axis held harbor of Sfax had been set abla2e. indicating that Rommel was destroying harbor in. StallationS).
 Tn the mortimer most sector, where the British First Army has started drive toward Biberte and Tunis, good progress" was made in the Sedjenane area, about 28 miles from Bizerte.
 United Press correspondent Don- ald Coe, with the British forces, reported that British artillery had played leading role in driving the enemy back from Sedjenane, per- hitting an Allied advance about six miles beyond the village.
 ROmmel Stlll Fights
 The trend of land fighting em- phasized recent official warnings that Rolnmel, although badly maul- cd, still has plenty of fighting power and also has been able to withdraw in good order without losing vast amounts of fighting equipment.
 The enemy'S success in these withdrawals gave additional impor- tance to the Allied aerial offensive designed to weaken Rommel to the greatest possible extent as he iS forced farther and farther back into the Tinisian trap.
 When American and RAF flyers counted their score at the end of the day they could claim successes from Cagliari to Oudref and Fl Guettar. Victims included IS Mes- serschmit l09'S, six Italian planes, three Focke-Wulf 1908, one JU-S8 four JU-87's, and two unidentified craft.
 GA broadcast over radio Algiers said A of more than 100 enemy planes on tine ground at Sardinia airdroEnes were destroyed by Flying Fortress bombs.)
 The greatest fortress raid ever made was carried out with a strong escort of American Lightning fight- CTS which swept enemy aircraft from the skies as the bombers meth- odically devastated Cagliari harbor and three Sardinia airfields and re- turned in perfect formation without loss of single plane.
 Another great exploit of tine day was performed by American Pi40 Warhawk fighter-bombers, escorted by P-40 Warhawk fighters. These planes have been severely criticized in the past but here is what they did yesterday when they surprised a concentration of German motor transports east of Fl Guettar.
 The WarhaEks, carrying bombs and heavy cannon, swept in over the enemy and left 20 to 30 vehicles in flames. En route home they met Q formation of German Stuka dive bombers and shot down four. At the same moment. their Warhawk escort tangled with a number of ME- i0D's which were providing top cover for the Sukas and shot down two of the Messerschmitts.
 A few minutes later the Warhawk fighter-bombers and fighters smash- cd into another Messerschmitt for- nation and sent down four enemy planes. Tn all of these engage ments, the Warhawks lost only one plane.
 N0n-Sg0p Owensive
 British fighters and bombers also kept up a nonstop offensive by clustering targets of every kind in the Sfax area and along the line Of Rommel's retirement from the Gabes sector. They destroyed doz- ems of enemy vehicles in many front and rear sweeps.
 (The Algiers radio said Q ssrge. scale offensive was under way ir Northern Tunisia.)
 (Madrid reports said Germany had commandeered the Italian fieei and all available French merchant ships preparatory to an attempt tf evacuate Italo.G German armies iron Tunisia in Axis ''Dunkirk."
 Uondou sources. however, believ' ed that any Inassing of sea power by the Axis in the Mediterranean wal intended to combat . prospect A. lied invasion of southern Europ' rather than to undertake . large scale evacuation attempt. Allied observers here said an! German stand behind even "pre' pared positions" north oe Oudref al the 0abes bottleneck would b' nothing moge than . delaying co, ton to be abandoned when th' American advance from n Guettai