Evening star., 1943-02-25
Romme| in Trouble on Two Fronts
As Allies Break Grip at Kasserine
And 9th Army Advances in South
Axis Strong Points
At OusseItiu and
SbeitIo Menuced
MAP on Page Al J
BY the Associated Press.

ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN
NORTH AFRICA, Feb. 25.-Gen
Sir Harold Alexander, British
commander of Allied ground
forces, today swung his Ameri-
can, French and British troops
into a fierce counteroffensive in
Central TuniSia, where they were
shaking loose the last grip of
Marshal Erwin Rommels Grip
pied columns on strategic KaS-
serine Pass and menacing two
other strong points at Sbeitla
and OusSeltia to the northeast.
Combining three pronged attack
In the north with armored car ad-
vances by the British 9th Army into
the outpost area of the Mareth
Line in the south, Gen. Alexander
had the enemy in trouble on two
fronts
AS British and American troops
swarmed into the Kasserine Pass
near the Algerian border for mop
ping-up operations, the strong Amer
lean and Dutch air forces spread
their assault deep into the enemys
rear, blasting airdromes, roads, rail-
ways, and strafing troops, vehicles
and gun posts.
AS Rommel retreated he again was
leaving Italian infantry behind as
rear guard, as he did in Egypt, and
hundreds of crack Italian infantry
and mountain troops were taken
prisoner.
Axis Salient Wiped Out.
A competent source said an Axis
salient OF about 8 miles had been
wiped out overnight.
(This apparently meant that
the Germans were holding only
about l mile of Kasserine Gap at
its eastern end The pass is
about miles long and yesterday
the Germans were reported max
ing stand about miles outside
the western eno)
Unable TO bring up sufficient re-
Inducements because of a bristling
barrage of bombs and machine-gun
fire from the air, the Axis chieftain
appeared unable to hold the vital
Kasserine Pass. 100 miles southwest
of Tunis, which he had used to
strike northward at the Allied COM
munication system.
Axis Salient Wiped Out.
No Axis troops are left on the
west side of the pass, a competent
source said.
German gunners also were hard
put to stave off the British advance
charge penetrating another gap
east of Sbiba, which Is 80 miles
northeast of Kasserine, and threat
ening Sbeitla, l8 miles northeast of
Kasserine.
Sbeitla. won by Rommel barely a
week ago, was along the route he
had traversed in his 66-mile dash
from Faid Pass nearly to the Alge-
rian frontier.
French troops, sallying from the
mountains on the west side of the
OusSeltia Valley, about 70 miles
northeast of KaSserine, cleaned up
one Axis pocket after another that
had been left by an Axis thrust a
few days ago, perhaps presaging an
other determined Allied drive in
that sector.
Italians Taken Prisoners.
Todays Allied headquarters COM
munique said number of Italians,
left as rear guards to protect the
German withdrawal, were taken
prisoners.
Meanwhile, the communioue for
the first time included mention of
ground activity by Gen Sir Bernard
L. Montgomery 9th Army in the
southern sector. and said his ar
mored cars were engaged in active
patrol east of the Mareth Line.
There was no indication that this
activity on the edge Of Rommel's
southern defense system meant the
9th Army was launching major
attack, but its operations were suffi-
ciently costly and Worrisome to the
enemy to force him to divide his
strength with the northern fronts.
American tWin-motored Maraud-
ers with Spitfire escort in the big
gest air raid of the day yesterday
scorched Ell Aouina Airdrome at
Tunis, an enemy fighter base and a
southern terminal for the air ferry
route from Sicily and Italy.
The Italian high command
said the strategic port and naval
base Of Naples was bombed by
Allied planesD
Bombs sprayed steel fragments
among many transport planes and
fighters on the field at Tunis, scored
hits among the planes and left a
number burning
The raiders were intercepted by 25
tSee AFRICA. Page Abb