The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-04-02
Bizerte Naval Base SheIIed as AIl.Out Air Attack
 Continues FOES AIRFIELDS NORTH OF GABES HIT AGAIN British, American Forces Still Remain About SO
 Miles Apart
BY VIRGIL PINKLEY United Press Staff COrresponden


 United Press Staff Correspondent
 Allied Headquarters, North Africa, April 2. = (UP) - Massed Allied air forces struck another tremendous blow in the last 24 hours with a relentless lombard ment of the Sfax area and attacks on the Bizerte naval base and other strategic targets in Tunisia, a com munique from General Dwight D. Eisenhower's headquarters disclosed today.
 The steady, all-out aerial offensive - despite unfavorable weather in northern Tunisia = included 6 con- stant rain of bombs on the import ant rear positions of Marshal Ed win Rommel in the Sfax area, some 70 miles north of Gabes. The Brit ish desert air force there probably exceeded on Thursday anything it accomplished in a single day during the great Fl Alamein aerial of- fensive.
 Almost 100 British bombers, in- cluding South African Boston. RAFp Baltimores and American Mitchells, took part in the big attack on the Sfax sector. They were escorted by American Warhawk Fighters from the South African and Aus- tralian air forces and Spitfires from the RAF. All of the Allied planes returned safely, indicating that the enemy was unable or unwilling to put up much opposition in the sky.
 In tine attack on Bizerte, the Ale lied planes dropped a number or 4,000-pound "block busters"
 A large force of bombers also at- tackled the air fields of La Fau- connerie and Fl Diem, 42 miles north of Gabes, which had once been reported as Rommel's head quarters.
 On the ground, the British First Army under It. Gen. K. A. N. AIa- derson hammered out new advances east and north of Sedpanane on the northernmost Tunisian sector in growing offensive a"aist Bizerte, ap- parently aiming to turn the north- ern flank of the Axis forces. Else- where there was stiffer resistance but Allied patrols continued to jab forward.
 The British Eighth Army, punch ing against RommelS entrenchcd rear guard about 12 miles north Of Gabes, was still some 40 miles from a junction with the American cole umn under It. Gen. George s. Pat- ton, Jr.. which encountered suffer opposition on the road from Fl Guettar toward Gabes.
 Erroneous Report
 (Radio Algiers broadcast an ap- parently erroneous report today that the British and American forces had made junction in southern TuniSia. Dispatches from United Press Correspondents both at the front and at Allied headquarters said the two armies were still about 40 air line miles apart and about 50 miles apart by road)
 A dispatch from United Press Correspondent Phil Ault, with Pate tons advance forces. said crack German troops were holding c well fortified hillside about l5 miles east of Fl Guettar. holding up the American advance.
 The Allied aerial offensive from Wednesday night until Thursday night when nine enemy aircraft were destroyed and four Allied ships were listed as missing was variation of Wednesdays damaging raid by nearly 100 flying fortresses o1 Sardinia, which the enemy has used as main supply base for Tunisia.
 On Wednesday night the docks of Bizerte, main pormforentry of Axis supplies, were bombed. Then on Thursday the center of ssEack by the desert air force was shifted