Evening star., 1943-04-03
What Next in Tunisio?

nlSla is over. 1t Is a brilliant victory
for General Montgomery and the
British Eighth Army, fought and
won with the same successful tech
nique as at Ell Alamein Not only
the Mareth Line but the Axis sec
ondary positions in the bottleneck
between the salt lakes and the sea
have been carried. A junction be-
tween the British Eighth Army and
General Patton's Americans, though
not yet effected. is virtually certain
IN the near future. 1t is unlikely
that the retreating Afrika Korps can
do more than fight delaying rear
guard actions across the plains of
Central Tunisia. The proba bility is
that it will make no determined
stand until it reaches Northern Tu-
nlsla IN close touch with the Axis
forces of General Won Arnim.
These are important steps toward
the ultimate goal-the total ex-
pulsion of the Axis from its last
African foothold. Nevertheless, it
must be admitted that this larger
objective presumably will be difficult,
costly and relatively distant in time.
Marshal Rommel has again shown
his military genius by the extraordi-
nary dexterity with which he extri-
Gated himself from a dangerous sit
uatlon. Under cover of a Sandstorm
ne evacuated the Mareth Line and
made good his retreat with relatively
slight losses in men and material,
Hanson Baldwin. the authorita tive
military commentator, now in North
Africa, writes: "Despite their defeat
on the Mareth Line, the Axis armies
IN Tunisia are still virtually intact
and lighting strongly In the same
dispatch to the New York Times, Mr..
Baldwin describes the ingenius meth
ods by which the Axis still manages
10 Terry a steady stream of troops
and equipment across the ninety
mile strait between Sicily and Tunis.
despite the Allied air and naval
blockade. This may be enough to
replace Wastage of the Axis armies in
Tunisia, estimated at $50 900. Though
greatly outnumbered by the COM
blned Allied forces. so large a body
OF troops strongly entrenched and
we'll equipped, offers a major prob
lem. Secretary of War Stimson
warns us that "a great deal of heavy
flghting' can be expected. After
Rommel has completed his with
drawal from Central Tunisia, the
campaign will take on the character
OF a siege. The quarter million de-
tenders of the North Tunisian fort
ress may be expected to put up a
last-dltch defense, since each dav
they hold out will pay big dividends
to the Axis in Europe. Qualified OBJ
servers here and in London think
that two or three months may elapse
before the end comes.
The big question mark is whether
Rommel will fight literally to the
death, sacrificing his whole army to
gain additional time, or whether he
Will attempt arge-scale evacuation
akin to Dunkirk. Concentrations of
merchant shipping in Italian and
French ports indicate the latter DOS
slblllty. Such an operation would
involve tremendous losses from Allied
naval and air attacks unless the Axis
throws in vast fleet of planes to get
local air superiority and umbrella"
the crossing, perhaps in conjunction
with the Italian Navy in a sacrifice
play. Even so, the attendant Axis
plane and ship losses might outweigh
the salvage of the remnants of the
Afrlka Korps. So balanced are the
factors in this strategic equation that
only time can show which horn of
the dilemma the Axis high command
will elect