The Mississippi enterprise. (Jackson, Miss.) 1938-current, 1943-02-27
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In releasing the long-awaited
summary of the South Pacific air
sea engagements of the week Of
January 29-February 4, the Navy
made 1t clear that no large pitched
battle took place What did take
place was a series of japanese air
attacks on U. S. shipping and a
much longer and more damaging
series of U. S. air attacks on Japa-
nese. There were no actions
between heavy forces.
When, late in January, u. S.
reconnaissance planes located 80
Jap fleet units, including battle
ships and aircraft carriers, and re-
ports were received of heavy con-
centrations of enemy ships and
planes in the Solomon Aera, it
looked as though the japanese
were preparing for a decisive bat
tie. AS it later turned out, how
ever, the enemy was only trying
to evacuate its troops from Quad
alcanal and interfere with u. S.
landing there.
The japanese attacks were Meth
er concentrated nor sustained On
January 29-30, enemy planes dam
aged and sank the heavy cruiser
Chicago, but lost in this attack u
out of Is planes. On February l,
enemy planes sank a U. S. De-
stroyer. But all through the week,
u. S. planes struck back, attacking
japanese shipping whenever and
wherever it could be found And
when the totals were added up
at the end of the week, the enemy
had lost two destroyers sunk, Is
other ships probably sunk or badly
damaged, and at least 60 planes.
U. S. losses were set at q planes
and three motor torpedo boats, in
addition to the cruiser and de-
stroy sunk earlier in the week.
Meanwhile our air attacks con-
against Munda Bay, against
Kolumbangara, against positions
in the Shorthand island area and
Bougainville, even against Kiska
in the Aleutians. And Alneflcan
submarines, operating in the Pa
cific and far East last week sank
five more enemy auxliaries, prob
ably sank a cruiser, and damaged
a cargo vessel.
Germans Attack IN TuHisia
The attack started at dawn Sun
day, February IA, when two Ger
man columns moved westward
from Faid and Sened in Central
Tunisia, advancing on Sbeitla and
Sid Bou lid with tanks, infantry,
dive bombers and motorized artil-
lery. This was apparently a drive
to expand their corridor along
Eastern Tunisia-The corridor lead
ing from the Mereth Line in the
South to the Tunis-Bizerte tri-
angle in the North
BY the middle of the week Ger
mans had succeeded in forcing
American units to retreat 35 miles
from their foremost positions and
evacuate three forward flying
fields. Gafsa was taken, then
Sbeitla, then Feriana, only IA
miles from the Algerian border
According to Secretary of War
Stimson, the attack against our
Central positions was timed to oc-
cur while the British Eighth Ar
my was preparing to press its
drive in the South against the
Mareth Line and the British First
Army on the Northwest was mud
bound Thus the Axis was able to
concentrate a large formation of
armored troops against the rela-
lively more light-held and more
extended American lines. Indi-
cations are, Mr.. Stimson said, that
the Germans were employing two
armored divisions-a force consid-
erably greater than our strength
in the area-but although the
fighting is continuing, the Ger
mans apparently have been slowed
down.
ARMY CASUALTIES
The President has called the Bat
tie for North Africa 'one of the
major battles of this war;" and
has warned that it would cost us
heavily in casualties. Last week
Mr.. Stimson told the press that
u. S. forces in the current fight
ing in Tunisia have suffered SUBJ
statial1 casualties on personnel and
equipment. Exclusive of these re-
cent losses, the army has had
41,858 casualties in the war, 442
killed, $500 wounded, 1854 miss
ing, GLIB prisoners of war.