Evening star., 1943-02-19
Romme| Thrust Declared Broken
y. S. Forces Begin Regrouping;
British Move Up for Squeeze
Decisive Action
By Americans
Is Reported
By the Associated Press.

thrust deep into the middle OF
the 300-mile-long Allied front ir
Tunisia was described as bro
ken" today, and a German
broadcast reported that the Brit
ish 9th and 1st Armies were mov-
Ing up on both flanks in a de-
,veloping north-south squeeze.
An Allied headquarters communi-
que said there was little activit,
on the Central Tunisian front yes
terday.
Overhead, Allied warplanes blasted
Axis troops which had driven al
most to the Tunisian-A Algerian from
tier. The Americans were reported
now holding strong defense posi-,
tions in the hills below TebesSa
which is II miles inside Algeria.
Sharper activity apparently was
developing in the south.
Lines Being Readjusted.
Front dispatches said Allied lines
north of the newly Axis
salient were being "readjusted" to
meet the situation.
An announcement said French
troops had been withdrawn from
Pichon, 40 miles north of the Faid
Pass region where the Germans
started their drive Sunday, appar-
emily in move to straighten out
the line and to avoid being f1anked
A bulletin from Gen. Sir Bernard
L. Montgomery headquarters said
British 9th Army troops yesterday
occupied the outpost of Foum Tata-
houine, at the southern end of the
60-mile Mareth Line, within "a
hours after patrols secuted the area.
This indicated little or no opposi-
ton, and the British communique
itself made no mention of fighting
in capturing the outpost.
Thirty miles to the north, Gen.
Montgomery's big guns were report
ed shelling the Axis in the Medenine
area, Immediately in front of the
Mareth defense works.
Attack Beyond Medenine.
A Berlin broadcast, going even
farther than the British war bull
letin, said the 9th Army was attack
ing beyond Medenine.
In the American-defende sector,
l30 miles northwest of the Mareth
Line, Rommel's smashing 66-mile
advance spearheaded by heavy new
Mark VI tanks appeared to have
come to standstill.
Gen. Alphonse JUN, the French
commander in chief, said the Nazi
drive had been broken after deci-
sive action of American tanks" and
German large-scale tank attacks
have been warded off by good shoot
ing of British artillery"
An Italian communique, however,
declared that local operations in
Central Tunisia are still in progress"
and asserted that the Axis had cap
tured 2,876 prisoners and seized or
destroyed l69 tanks, 95 armored
cars, 36 mobile guns and 66 other
guns.
These figures were not confirmed
by Allied sources, although it was
officially admitted that American
losses were heavy.
Tie Fascist communique also re-
ported that Axis forces had repulsed
ar Allied attack in the northern
sector, where 1t. Gen. K. A. N. An
dersons British 1st Army has been
operating.
Objective Attained.
As battered United States forces
regrouped about the Algeria -Tunisia
border, anxious to carry the battle
back to Marshal Rommel's tank
corps, direct dispatches from Allied
headquarters and German radio
broadcasts agreed that Rommel had
attained his apparent objective, q
limited attack to diSorganize the
American forces.
Prior to Gen. Juin's statemen
that the German offensive had beer
broken the French high command
in a communique said an enem,
infantry attack supported by 81
tanks had been repulsed in th'
region west of Hadjeb el Aiouh
which is west Of Faid Pass.
American forces had been driver
from Feriana, II miles east Of th'
Algerian border, from kasserine
13 miles east of the border ant
about Is miles northeast Of Feriana
and from Sbeitla, IS miles northeas
of KaSSerine.
The British communique issued a
Cairo which told of the occupation
of Foum Tatahouine said weathe
again hindered offensive air opera
tions over the battle area, but il
the battle of communications tor
pedo planes from Malta sank a me
dium- sized merchantmen northweS
of Sicily.
Italian Mainland Attacked.
The attack on the merchantmen
was made Wednesday night AT tn
same time intruder aircraft wer
active on the Italian mainland, at
tacking and damaging four locomo
tives west of Taranto and Startin
fires in long line of freight cars.
In TuniSia, the war bulletin saic
enemy motor transport vehicles wer
shot up and damaged between SouSs
and SfaX.
All aircraft in these operation
returned safely, it was announced
while one enemy aircraft was sho
down by nti-aircraft fire Wednes
day night over BengaSi.