Evening star., 1943-03-24
Swift Attack Forcino
RommeI to Flight
Major Eliot Sees Advance
Of Allies Leovine Axis
No Choice But to Clear Out
By Maj. George Fielding Eliot

NO Choice But to Clear Out
By Maj. George Fielding Eliot.
1t is too early, and the reports from
the Tunisian battle front are too vague
for confident analysis, but it looks very
much as though Marshal Rommel is
either trapped with the bulk of his forces
in the Mareth-G area, or else is
already in full retreat to the northward.
Gen. Montgomery's mastery flanking
movement around the rear of the Mareth
Line to Ell HANNA is undoubtedly de-
signed to pin Rommel down and also to
effect early contact between the British
forces and the advancing Americans
under 1t. Gen. Patton. Meanwhile there
are indications that Gen. Montgomery
has effected a direct ak-through at
the strongest part of the line and if this
is so it would hint very strongly at
German withdrawal 1t is not yet GER
tain whether Rommels armor can at
tempt even delaying countermove
against Gen. Patton, but present indica-
tions are against it. The British appear
to have moved too swiftly, and the fall of
Gabes itself may not be far distant.
If Rommel counterattacks Gen. Pat
ton now, he might find the British clos
ing in on his rear before he could dis
engage himself.
Gen. Patton himself has moved no less
swiftly, coming forward in one great
rush from Sened to Maknassy. Rommel
appears to have thrown what air forces
he possessed against Gen. Patton in
desperate attempt to delay the Ameri-
cans, which is another suggestion that
he is trying to retreat northward along
the coastal road toward Sfax and Sousse.
On the whole, the prospects appear
bright for the early liquidation of the
whole of the Axis positions in Southern
Tunlsia, and the situation may develop
very rapidly into a pursuit of Rommel
northward along the coastal road with
the British worrying at his heels and
the Americans trying to get ahead of
him and cut him off. Should this situa-
ton develop, Rommels chances of get
ting away with the bulk of his force
would depend very largely on how ac-
curately he has gauged the situation and
how early he took the decision to fall
back.
The speed of the British flanking
movement and Of Gen. Pattons advance
from Gafsa to Maknassy suggests the
possibility that the old desert fox may
have been taken by surprise this time
and may either find himself completely
surrounded or at least sustain very heavy
losses. But this is by no means certain
and we must remember that Rommel
has extricated himself from some pretty
desperate situations in times gone by.
1t will be noted that there seems to
be two main points of difference be-
tween Gen. Montgomery's attack on the
Mareth Line and his attack on Ell Ala
mein. First. at Ell Alamein, he was not
able to outfiank the German positions
but had to break through by direct
penetration and then break down the
flank Of the breach he had created: at
Mareth, the terrain permitted him to
Wy CAFCAoPHlcll1 dIIu DTcdk-CITOugn
simultaneously. Some hint as to his
superiority in numbers and equipment
Is contained in the fact that he is strong
enough to do both things at once Sec
ond, at Ell Alamein, his first penetration
OF the German minef1elds was followed
by considerable pause while he was
clearing up the minef1elds and making
ready for his break-through, while at
Mareth the break-through appears to
have followed Immediately after the
initial penetration of the outer zone.
This suggests both that the British are
In overwhelming strength and that Rom
mel has neither the men nor the material
to prepare thorough mine defense.
Rommel's use of his air force as a
mobile reserve is interesting. The Allied
air force, apparently greatly superior in
numbers, has been bombing the Germans
In round-the- clock relays almost with
out opposition. Rommel has evidently
felt that to use his few squadrons in en-
deavoring to oppose the Allies in the
air would result merely in a useless waste
OF planes and pilots, and so he has got
ten what good he could out Of them by
using them to delay Gen. Patton east of
Maknassy. This is, OF course, sound tao
tics, but 1t is grim comment on German
air weakness at the decisive moment in
Southern Tunisia.
Copyright, 1943, New York Tribune. Incl