Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-02-24
Romme| Reported in Full Retreat
With Allied Forces in Hot Pursuit;
ATTEMPTS Stand in Kasserine Pass
Almost Every U. S.
And British Plane
Sent Into Action

D. the ASSoCldleu tTtSs.
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN
NORTH AFRICA, Feb. Palmer
lean and British forces, after a
bitter three-day battle. have
hurled Marshal Erwin Rommel's
foodtide of armor back into the
mountains of the Kasserine Gap,
In Central Tunisia, under hail
of bursting bombs from hundreds
Of planes.
The German chieftain is in full
retreat, field reports said today, after
his tanks had surged to within 3
miles Of Thala, key road junction to
the upper plains of Kremamsa, and
his battered armor was reported at
tempting to make a stand only 3
miles from the mouth of the twist
ing gap from which he sailed for
mis- attempts to crack the Allied front
in Tunisia.
(Rommel thus had been forced
to drop back at least miles from
the highwater mark of his ad-
vance. Thala is 25 miles north
of Kasserine. The Kasserine Pas
is or 6 miles long and is north
west of Kasserine.
CRommel still was SO or 81 miles
west of the starting point of his
offensive at Faid Pass, however.
CA Reuters dispatch from Al
lied headquarters said battalion
of about 1000 Italians had been
trapped in another pass, leading
toward Siliana, about 10 miles
northeast of KaSserine. French
Moroccan troops let the Italians
enter and then closed in, the dis
patch said. while a Scottish regi-
ment blocked another exit
Allies Stood OFF Attacks.
An Allied headquarters COM
nunique said the backwash OF the
Rommel drive began early yesterday
after American and British forces
had successfully stood off his attacks
during three days of heavy fighting,
"Our infantry and armored units
were in contact with the enemy
throughout the day, inf1icting heavy
casualties, taking many prisoners
and securing some abandoned enemy
material" the communique said.
The Germans apparently were
keeping their tanks near the mouth
Of the pass to cover their retreat
against onrushing American and
British armored forces and under
the heaviest Allied air attack of the
Tunisian war.
American troops attacking down
the Hatar River from the west cap
tured more than 300 German and
italian prisoners and enough small
{ rms to equip an entire battalion.
Many Planes Take Part.
With the coming of daylight Mai.
Gen. Carl SpaatZ, American air
chief on the Tunisian front, threw
almost every British and American
'lane at his disposal against the
battered and retreating Germans.
They turned the road from Thala
through the Kasserine Valley. walled
ty 1000 and 5000 foot mountains,
INTO a veritable hell of exploding
oombs and machine gun fire.
Even Flying Fortresses, usually
used only for heavy bombardment of
airf1elds and ports, joined in the
attacks, smashing tons of bombs on
che roads along which Rommel was
attempting to withdraw.
Pilots of both the Raj and the
American Air Force report great
damage was done to the retreating
forces.
1t appeared that Rommel had suf-
Tered the greatest losses the Ger
mans have met in Tunisia.
Fortresses, tWin-motored Maraud-
ers and Mitchells and Bostons all
,oined in the devastating attacks on
She Kasserine, Sbeitla and Feriana
areas. Hurricane bombers, Light
nings, Airacobras and Spitfires we're
among the light stuff" which
poured machine gun and cannon
Are into trucks and then raked road
SIDE bitches for hiding Germans.
Formation after formation at
tackled the KaSserine and Sbeitla
areas. with the Fortresses first lay
ing strings Of bombs along the road
tSee AFRICA, Page A-5D