Evening star., 1943-03-30
British 9th Army Takes Gobes
And E| Hommo, Presses Toward
Sfox in Hosty Chase of Axis
Prisoners Captured
By Advancing Allies
Now Total 5000

By the Associated Press.
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN
NORTH AFRICA, March 30
Gen. Sir Bernard L. Montgom-
ery's British 9th Army has occu-
pied Gabes and Ell HANNA in a
swift pursuit of Marshal Erwin
Rommels Afrika Korps, an Al
lied headquarters communique
announced today.
The advance was made in spite of
strong rearguard resistance, the
communique said, and prisoners
taken by the onrushing Allies were
said now to number 5000, an in
crease of 1000 over the figure an
nounced yesterday.
1st Army Advances.
In the north, meanwhile, the
British 1st Army of 1t. Gen. K. A.
Anderson scored a further advance
from the Djebel Abiod area south
west of Bizerte.
More than TOO prisoners were cap
tured in that sector despite strong
German opposition in the difficult
mountainous country
American columns of 1t. Gen.
George S. Patton, jr., nudging east
ward from the mountain passes east
of Gafsa toward Rommel's flank,
also made progress after turning
back some local counterattacks. The
Americans captured 200 more pris-
oners, the communique said.
The whole operation was pro-
ceeding under spread of Allied
fighters and bombers which bombed
Rommels fleeing transport and
lines of communication north of
Gabes and farther to the north
between Sfax and Sousse, the COM
munique said.
During the day II German and
italian planes we're destroyed in
extensive air encounters and bomb
ings, while 10 Allied planes were
missing, the announcement said.
Gabes, city of 10000 population,
mostly native, was taken in a swift
march by New zealanders after the
crumbling of the Mareth Line and
despite extensive mine fields and !
BOBBY traps streWn in their path
by the retreating Germans. Shortly
before their entry Allied naval
forces bombarded the port heavily |
from the sea.
Middle of Oasis.
The city is in the middle of a !
four-mile long oasis of date palm
groves, and banana and fruit trees. |
1t occupies the site of the Roman
Empire city of Tacape.
1t is the chief port in Southern
Tunisia and the next port is Sfax.
Tunis Is 1875 miles by air to the
north.
Fifty enemy vehicles were re-
ported destroyed and nearly 300
damaged by fighter -bombers from
the western desert which had waited
out bad weather and then blasted
Rommel's line of retreat between
Oudref, north of Gabes, and Sfax.
This was one of the heaviest attacks
of the campaign.
Heavy and medium bombers also
Joined the attack after the letup in
duStStorms and in attack lasting
about an hour set fires visible for
so miles among the retreating COL
umns.
The entrance of Allied naval
forces into the picture was dis
closed last night in an announce
ment that warships had slipped
close in shore to lombard Gabes, 20
miles north of the Mareth positions
which Rommel was forced to quit
because of the smashing assaults of
the British 9Th Army.
l5-Mile Strip of Land.
Just north of Gabes, which was
the supply port for the Mareth
Line, is the 15-mile strip of land
between the sea and the marshy
extremity of the Djebel Chott.
known as the Gabes Gap, through
which Rommel must funnel what is
leftNof his armor and men.
If Rommel can slip through the
Gabes gap he must reckon with
American forces forming spearheads
in the passes of the Dorsal, the
mountain spinal column winding
northeastward to the Mediterranean
At Guetaria Pass and at Max
nassy, the Americans were poised.
and they were forging ahead in
tSee AFRICA, Page A-5.)