Evening star., 1943-01-31
Early Move Expected
By British 9Th Army
On Tunisian Front
Montgomery Force Jobs
Across Frontier; Flyers
Fire Bizerte Dock Area
=. the Associated Press.

y the Associated Press
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN
NORTH AFRICA, Jan. 3O.-Ad-
vance. units of Gen. Sir Bernard
l.. Montgomerys 9Th Army have
made their first thrusts across
the Tunisian border in pursuit
OF German Marshal Erwin Rom
mel, a British communique dis
closed today as Allied aerial
attacks stabbed at communica-
tlons and supply lines of the re-
treating Afrika Korps.
With these forward elements pene-
tratlng the central sector of the
1mlsian front, it was expected that
1t would not be long until the main
body Of the 9th Army swings into
action.
In an apparent effort to cut off
Rommel's supply lines as we'll as
further avenues of escape, American
and Raj planes rained explosives on
Northern Tunisia, accounting for l3
Axis planes.
A Middle East communioue re-
ported bad weather had hampered
their activities, but the 18th Air
Force bombers, striking from the
west set fires in the Bizerte dock
area and left two ships in a big
Iunisian bound convoy in flames.
Patrols Cross Border.
The British communicate spoke
only OF penetration in the central
sector OF the front, indicating that
Gen. Montgomery patrols crossed
the border some Is to Is miles from
the coast.
There was no indication of how
close the patrols approached to the
Mareth Line. situated about IS miles
inside Tunisia, within which part of
Rommel's forces are believed already
established. These Notifications
were built by the French before the
war to protect Tunisia against attack
from the east
Nor did the brief Cairo communi-
que mention other British forces
closing In on zuara. last Axis port
In Trlpolitania. However, a Cairo
dispatch said the British had en-
gagged the retreatine Germans along
the coast road in the Zuara area.
about 40 miles east of the border.
: Artillery Duels.
The fighting was confined to
Armored patrol clashes and artillery
ouels with the last remaining units
OF Rommel's forces in Libya, |
struggling toward the Mareth Line.
A French high command COM
munique reported that the French |
captured a position in the mountain |
Gus area west of KaiPouan and killed |
80 OF the German defenders.
While Flying Fortresses were at
tacking Bizerte yesterday. other |
United States flyers swept across
the Tunis airdrome and DESTROYED
many OF so planes which were on
the ground.
A 18th Air Force spokesman said
the attacked convoy included six
ifreishters, four destroyers and sew
'eral other vessels, n addition to the
TWO cargo liners.
Two Direct Hits.
1.-TWO direct hits were made on one
cargo liner, blowing away its super
structure" he said The hits on
the second liner started fires from
which smoke rose 800 to 400 feet.
Direct hits were made on another
vessel of 100 to $50 feet, causing 1t
to explode
Meanwhile. an Italian communioue
declared that Axis troops had con-
solidated positions recently gained
IN Iunisia and that there were only
limited actions by exploring units"
in Western Tripolitania.
The communique admitted that
eight enemy bombers did considera-
BILE damage in raid on Messina in
Sicily, but claimed Axis planes sank
three destroyers and five merchant
men in attacks on Allied convoy
between Algiers and Bone.