Evening star., 1943-01-15
Fortresses Fire Tunision Ports;
British Subs Sink 4 Axis Ships:
Soviet Drives on Rostov Prooress
3 Supply Craft Also
Probably Destroyed
In Mediterranean
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
Flying Fortresses attacked the
Eastern Tunisian supply ports o.
Sousse and Sfax yesterday, leav'
ing the harbor areas aflamt
from a destructive downpour Of
explosives, it was announced to-
day at Allied headquarters ir
North Africa.
Lighter two-motored B-26 Ma
rauders battered rail lines anc
highways along the coastal road al
Mahares, on the Gulf of Gabes q
miles southwest of Sfax, and Ameri-
can fighters ranged widely over the
battle area.
An Allied communique said that
"there was no change in the ground
situation"
The Allied aerial attack also was
kept under way from bases in the
east where United States and Soutf
African RAF warplanes battered a
Marshal Erwin Rommeps supply
lines and air bases along the Tripoll-
tanian coast and into Tunisla. a
Cairo communique said 13 Alice
pilots were missing after widespread
operations in which at least elgn'
Axis fighters were downed.
Three Axis Supply Ships Sunk.
In London, the Admiralty an
nounced that British submarines II
the Mediterranean had sunk three
more enemy supply ships and
small naval vessel, probably de-
stroyed three other supply ships ane
shelled railway bridge on th'
southern coast of Italy.
Reuters, British news agency, re-
ported from Allied headquarters II
North Africa that the three high
ranking British air officials in the
Mediterranean conferred recently II
North Africa, presaging a three-WaJ
aerial attack against Axis forces.
Commentators in London SAID
that if the conference resulted IN
a unification of the air command
the need for which has been ex-
pressed in some quarters, one valu-
able result would be that flyers
could shuttle between eastern and
western bases in relay bombings OF
Axis positions.
It was explained that now flyers
are supposed to return to their
home base after completing their
missions.
Air Activity Increases.
Air Marshal Sir Arthur William
Tedder, vice chief of staff of the
air forces, met with Sir Keith Park,
air vice marshal for Malta, and
Air Marshal Sir William Welsh,
commanding the Raj in North
Africa, Reuters said.
The Italian high command re-
ported considerably increased air
action over the Libyan front and
said German fighters intercepted
large formations of Allied planes and
shot down %, many of them heavy
bombers
Strong Allied thrusts in Southern
Tunisia were repulsed yesterday
with heavy losses to the enemy
the German high command re.
ported today. also claiming q
Allied planes were destroyed.
German fghter-bombers dam
aged an enemy destroyer at Bone
Algeria, and started extensive fire
at an Allied airbase, broadcast O.
the Nazi communique said.
Nazis Claim Repulse of French.
Another German broadcast sale
300 French troops were killed and Il
tanks were destroyed in Contra
Tunisia when a regiment of French
launched an attack toward Pont dl
Fahs but were repulsed.
The alleged victory was not con
firmed by Allied sources. The French
in North Africa announced yester
day they had driven Axis force
from two strategic heights north
west of Kairouan, which is soutl
of Pont du Fahs, and in anothe
area on that general front hat
taken an Axis position.
The German controlled Pari
radio reported today that the from
tier between Spanish and Frencl
Morocco in North Africa had beel
closed.
The Allied North African com
munique said:
There is no change in the grount
situation.
Flying Fortresses attacked thu
enemy supply ports of Sousse ant
Sfax. At both places targets or
quays were hit and fires were lef
burning.
'Escorting P-3Ss shot down on,
ME-109
"Objectives at Mahares, 20 mile!
southwest of Sfax, were attacked by
B-26 bombers.
Sweeps and patrols were carried
out by fighters in the forward areas
Spitfires destroyed one enem!
fighter.
I'm these operations four of ou
(See AFRICA, Page A-6)