The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-05-07
Infantry, ArmOred Units Paced By Unprecedented
 Aerial Onslaught FORWARD TO VICTORY
 ALEXANDER'S SLOGAlV Achievements, Supplies of Enemy Virtually Stop
 ped By Allied Attack
BY VIRGIL PINKLEY United Press Staff Correspondent

Allied Headquarters, North Africa, May 2. - (UP) - Americans, virtually isolat- ing the northern Tunisiar front, pounded through stiff Axis defenses to within les. than nine miles of Bizerte to. day while British armorec Spearheads raced across the coastal plain behind a record breaking aerial attack to within about eight miles of Tunis.
 Instructed by General Sir liar old Alexander in an order of the day to drive the enemy Axis forces into the sea, Allied infantry, artil- lery, armor and air forces united in all-out blows that collapsed the main Axis hill defenses and brought Tunis as well as Bizerte within ar tillery range.
 The Americans and French ill the north captured another 1000 pris- oners, took four important hill feat ures, hammered at the road june tion of Ferryville after mopping up bitter end German garrison on a nearby hill. They also seized Djebel Zarour south of Lake Bizerte, and cleared the hills southwest of the vital Chouigui Pass only six miles northwest of Tebourba, which is now threatened from threee sides. The fall of Tebourba appeared i'm minent.
 The British First Army has pushed an overwhelming weight Of armor through the captured town of MaSsicault on the central plains and surged on eastward toward St. Cyprien to within easy artillery range of Tunis, which was no long CT protected by any formidable nat ural barrier.
 Both Americans and British were closing in on the junction of Te- boura from which the enemy appar- ently was withdrawing.
 AleXander'S orders were for all out offensives that would give the enemy opportunity to catch his breath and drive him back to a "Dunkirk" on the Mediterranean beaches.
 Final Phase
 We have reached the final phase" he told the 18th army group. "The worlds eyes are on you. For ward to victory ="
 BiZerte was almost cut off from Tunis and the entire Axis mountain front had fallen apart under infan- try and artillery attacks and after the greatest aerial attack ever hurled against enemy lines had lit- erally blasted four-mile- wide path through the hills with more than 2,000 sorties in few hours.
 The enemy suffered tremendous losses on land, while Allied planes ranging northWard aS far as Italy sank destroyer and II small ships, destroyed 40 enemy planes and hit second destroyer as well as many other vessels. The concentrated aerial attacks stopped virtually all enemy endorsements and supplies to TuniSia.
 American infantry and armor was smashing the enemy defenses of Bizerte into small isolated areas as the British famed out on the plain before Tunis from heights only two of three miles west of St Cyprien.
 The American and French col umnS on the north coast pushed for ward over easier ground on the north side of Lake Achkel and dug in within less than nine miles of the big naval base. South of Lake Ach- kel they were thrusting close to the outskirts of Ferryville.
 Still farther south, in sweeps against the enemy lines southeast of Mateur, they were reported threatening to trap large enemy rear-guard units in the Teboura hills and had thrown out a spear head toward Diedeida, which lies east of Tebourba and only 13 miles from TuniS.
 (The German communique today
 Continued on Page 4)