Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-02-10
Russians Pouring Through Gap
In Nozi Defense Near Khorkov:
British Resume Drive in 7 unisio
9th Army Registers
Gain as LuII in
Fighting Is Broken
BY the Associated Press,

Britain's victorious 9th Army
was officially reported to have
started new advance into Tu-
nisia today, breaking a protract-
ed lull, and at the same time the
German-controlled Vichy radio
asserted that Axis Tunisian
forces had launched an attack
against the British.
! The Vichy broadcast said the
Axis assault was made to forestall
a British offensive.
First word of the British advance
came from Gen. Sir Harold r. L. G
Alexander, British commander-in
chief in the Middle East, who told
newsmen:
THE enemy's forces have been
completely eliminated from Egypt,
Cirenaica, Libya and Tripolitania-
and the 9Th Army is advancing"
Massing of Men Reported.
For several days, Axis quarters
have reported that Gen. Sir Bernard
L. Montgomery's armies were mass
ing troops, tanks, big guns and other
equipment along the Libyan-Tunis-
ian frontier for a new offensive.
Advance 9Th Army troops were
reported to have thrust so miles
across the border several days ago.
Vichy's report Of an Axis counter
attack indicated that Col. Gen. Jur-
gen Won Arnim's Tunisian forces
may have reinforced Marshal Erwin
Rommel's battered legions and
turned on the British 9th Army
somewhere in the vicinity of the
Mareth Line, go miles inside Tunisia
Role of U. S. Cited.
At his press conference, the first
since the dark days when Marshal
Rommels advance was threatening
Alexandria and the Nile Valley, Gen
Alexander said the successes of the
9th Army have been equally shared
by the three services and the United
States Air Force"
He said he expected Rommel to
pull his forces in behind the Mareth
Line and try to hold off the 9th
Army's drive as long as possible.
Il think he will stand at the
Mareth Line as long as there is no
danger of being isolated" the British
commander said.
AS long as the enemy Is able to
hang on in North Africa. Allied
operations will be hamstrung, he ex-
planned, and that is one important
reason to drive the Axis out OF Tunis.
Apparently the Mareth Line is the
only position behind which Rommel
can attempt stand, for there is no
evidence Of any new Notifications
prepared north of that defense
works. Gen. Alexander said he was
confident the line could be turned by
sufnciently strong forces, since it
extends only about 40 miles from the
coast.
Not Effective Barrier.
When the French built the line,
Gen. Alexander said, they were not
thinking in terms of highly mobile
armored forces. but rather of throw
ing up a barrier against infantry
attack.
The British commander declared
the Notifications were much toe
short to be an. effective barrier for
mobile forces, which could swing
around the defenses over passable
hill country much like the terrain
crossed by the 9th Army in its drive
on Tripoli.
If driven out of the Mareth line
Rommels next best position for 9
stand would be near the Gabes land
bottleneck, between the Gulf OF
Gabes and inland hills.
The enemy stand In North Africa
depends mainly on supply lines,
Gen. Alexander said.
He explained that the Allies were
getting their air forces into position
to hit heavier blows and said il
they could get airfields near Tunis
and Bizerte they could hit the enemy
day and night with bombers attack
ing with fighter escort. At present
Allied landing fields are not
close enough to give protection tt
| bOmbers.
Axis Forces Raked.
| 1t. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower
headquarters reported that a new
combination of United States Aira.
cobras and Americana flown Spitfres
raked Axis forces on the Southern
Tunisian front with cannon anc
machine-gun fire, while Flying Fort
resses blasted the German air base
near Kairouan.
An air force spokesman credited
the Airacobra- Spitfire teams witt
successful attacks on enemy troor
formations, machine-gun posts ane
trucks, In addition to the strafing at.
tacks along the Gafsa -Maknass,
road In the south. in which the lO(
Germans were reported killed. Or
this road several trucks were set or
fire, while 200 enemy troops wer,
strafed near Mezzouna, in the Max.
nassy area
Raj Spitfires on sweeps in tn.
Pont Du Fahs area shot up truck.
load Of troops and a gun post.
In all this aerial activity not ar
Allied plane was lost, the spokes.
man said
An italian communique said tn,
raiders inflicted many casualtie
at Kairouan and asserted that |,
Allied planes were shot down b,
German fighters.
Other Allied flyers pounded tn
important port OF Palermo, in Sicily