Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-04-26
Five Mountains
Are Captured
ByFrench
By the Associated Press.

ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN
NORTH AFRICA, April 26.-The
Germans were reported in re-
treat today on the American
manned northern sector of the
Tunisian front, after yielding
mountain strongholds at the
southern end of their abbrevi-
ated west wall with little resist
ance and concentrating armored
strength against tank-supported
blows by the British 1st Army at
their center.
Even as field dispatch said the
Germans had begun withdrawing
from positions before 1t. Gen.
George S. Patton's I'd United States
Army Corps this morning, head
quarters announced that the French
10th Army Corps, serving at the
hinge" between the British LIST and
9th Armies, had won five mountains
without heavy opposition and wiped
out a German salient that had
poked dangerously into Allied lines
A military spokesman said Col.
Gen. Jurgen Won Arnim was known
definitely to have committed most
of his armor to fight it out" against
British tanks which penetrated the
narrow plain east of Goubellat, be-
tween the French and American
sectors.
This is vital area" the spokes-
man said.
(The possibility of British
breakthrough in the Goubellat
sector. which would slash path
between the Tunis-Bizerte area
and the Axis secondary southern
defense line based at Pont Du
FANS, Zaghouan and Bou Ficha,
may have influenced Gen. Won
Arnim to order Withdrawals on
the TANKS while he yet had the
power for a delaying action)
Important Hill Captured.
Even before news of the Nazi
retreat was received, advanced
elements of the Patton corps had
reached a line miles east of Sid
N'Sir and only about 10 miles south
west of Mateur, a junction from
which highways lead to both Tunis
and Bizerte.
In companion action to the
north, other Americans captured an
important hill called the Djebel
Nechat Ell Mazi, 9 miles northeast of
Sedienane and 30 miles southwest
of Bizerte.
All forces of Gen. Sir Harold
Aleyander's 18th Army Group were
declared in the Allied communique
to have continued their steady
progress on all sectors" with power
full air support yesterday.
{ Algerian and Moroccan divisions
'of the 10Th French Army Corps made
a general advance On it's mountain
lines to occupy the five important
hills. the Djebel Mansour-capture
of which was previously reported
yesterday-and the Djebels Artogu
Ell Hanech, Bou Krin, Menassir and
Edjehel.
"a French communique broad
case by the Algiers radio an
nounced today that French forces
had driven to a position little
more than miles from Pont du
FahsD
The Germans still hold the north
ern end of the Grand Dorsal, but
the withdrawal from the five hills
eliminates strong hedgehog forma-
ton.
The 9Th Army took so prisoners in
hopping up Djebel Terhouna, which
is 5 miles from Enfldaville. The
overrunning of this position had
been reported unofhcially earlier.
French forces, after driving the
Germans from Djebel Mansour, 10
miles southwest of Pont du Fahs,
captured new important heights, the
communique said.
(The Algiers radio said that
"a German tanks had been
knocked out in the last Y hours.
The report said the German
Afrika Korps had thrown its
main tank reserves into the battle
yesterday in the Goubellat sector
southeast of Medjez-el-BabD
Heavy Nazi Casualties.
The battle east of Medjez-e l-Bab
also was proceeding in favor of the
Allied forces, the communique said,
and heavy casualties were inflicted
on enemy tank forces.
Yesterday in the north an Axis
(See AFRICA, Page A-18)