The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-04-14
Allies Advance On
Three Key Sectors
CCuntinusd from Page u

Iho enemy has strong forces for
such an attempt and It would be In
keeping with Rommels tactics.
Allied Air Forces, however, were
botterlng Axis positions both front
and rear at every opportunity. Big
formations Of Mitchells, Marauders
and spitfires reared over the front
lines and heavy bombers, led by the
flying fortresses, continued to blast
Rommel's rear positions, concentrate
ing on enemy airdromes where q
great many grounded planes were
destroyed or damaged.
flying fortresses, sweeping over
the Axis airfield at Castelvetrano,
sicily, found liz transport planes
parked on the ground. Blanketing
the field with bombs, the bombers
destroyed 81 and seriously damaged
81 others. according to aerial pho
tographs.
At Milo airdrome, also on Sicily,
other fortreSses wrecked % Of the
106 parked planes and set fire TO
q gasoline pump. Another II Axis
planes were shot down in far-flung
aerial operations during the past
"A hours.
German Marshal Erwin Rommels
battered armies were hemmed in
from three sides In pocket 1890
square miles-the size of Connecti-
cut or slightly more than half the
size Of New Jersey - with only the
sea at their backs.
Twin spearheads Of the British
Eighth Army pushing along the
coast on a broad front east and
west Of the Kerbia Salt Lake, IL
to IA miles above SouSse, reached
Rommel's prepared defenses be-
tween Rommel's prepared defenses
between Enfidaville and the Djebel
Bou Hadjar yesterday, Gen. Dwight
~. Eisenhower's communiQue said.
"a CHS broadcast from Algiers
said the EIGHTH Army now was %
miles northwest Of Soussee and SO
miles south Of Tunis with fighting
under way west of Enfidavllle. The
broadcast said there was no confir-
nation of q report that Enfidaville
had been captured)
1,OLJ Prisoners
To the west, French forces COM
pIeted the occupation Of a chain
Of hills east and northeast Of Kali
xouan, boosting their bag Of prison.
crs Of nearly 1000, and pushed on
to the north. A French communique
also reported great activity" by
French patrols in the Bou Arada
area at the southwestern tip of the
Axis position, AZ miles from Tunis.
Lieut.. Gen. Kenneth A. N. Ander-
sons First Army drove deeper into
the hills above the Medjez FL Bah
Munchar Line west Of TuniS in the
face Of staff enemy opposition, the
communique said.
American flying forresSes set the
pace for the Allied aerial offensive
against Avis airfields with devastat-
ing attacks on the Milo and CaStel-
vetrano landing grounds in Sicily.
Bombs blanketed both fields, the
conmunique said. More than 100
aircraft were parked on one field
alone. Enemy fighters intercept
ed one formation Of fortresSes, but
four Of the fighters were shot down.
Bombers and fighter-bombers at
tackled the few remaining Axis air.
field in TuniSia in relays yesterday,
starting lareg fires and shooting
down two enemy planes. Planes
also maintained a constant patrol
over the battle area and there ac-
counted for still another Axis plane.
(The Morocco radio said Rommel
has only three airfieldS left in
TtInisia. Three airfields at st. Ma
RE pu Zit, west Of Hammamet, was
subjected to a continuous 24-hour
hombardment, the broadcast said)
One Axis bomber was shot down
Monday night and Allied fighters
boosted E 24-hour toll of enemy
planes shot down to a total Of II
BY destroying two torpedo bombers
over the Mediterranean. Only three
Allied planes were lost during the
period.
British middle-eastern bombers
Joined in the offensive with raids
on Palermo and MeSsina, Sicily,
Monday night.
The text Of the conmunique:
Yesterday forward troops Of the
Eighth Army continued their adj
vance to the north and made con-
tact with enemy prepared defenses
between Enfldaville and the Djebel
Bou Hadjar.
"On their left. French forces con-
tinued their advance.
1.-THE First Army made further
advances in the Medjez FL Bah
MuncIaar sector in the face Of en-
envy opposition.
"Air:
yesterday and during the pre-
vious night, air operations Of the
northwest African Air Force were
largely directed against enemy air
fields.
ION the night of April 1918,
bombers Of the strategic and tactical
air force and the French Air Force
attacked an enemy airfleld in
Tunisia, where fires were started.
Yesterday Flying Fortresses at
tackled airflelds at Milo and Castel-
yetrano In Sicily. Bomb bursts thor