The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-01-25
Americans Make Daring Raid Toward Coast Be- '
 low Sfax
U. s. ACCEPTS NAZI DEBT l,
 COME OUT AND FIGHT
Germans Halted in Attempt to Widen Their Corridor
 r' of Retreat
BY WILLIAM B. DICKINSON

BY WILLIAM B. DICKINSON <. United Press Stan COrrcspondent)
 London, Jan. 25.-(UPl---- A daring American raid toward the coast below Sfax and the possibility that ad- vance patrols of the British Eighth Army already have crossed the Tunisian border indicated today that the time was near when Allied Forces from East and West would join hands for the final assault against the Axis in North Africa. <.
 The American raid, which waA made in response to a written chals lenge from the Germans to 'colne out and fight" carried the Alner!' jeans to within B miles of tha' southeastern Tunisian coast. Eighty Axis prisoners were seized. ~
 Official quarters here had no positive confirmation that the Eighth Army had crossed the Tue nisian frontier, but the pace of the advance westward from Tripoli was so rapid that it was regarded aa likely that ,soouting parties already were over the border.
 American and British planes showered bombs on the Axis trcops in western Tripolitania and eastern Tunisia, and in southeastern Tu- nisia growing American arnlored force checked the Germans who were attempting to preserve and widen corridor through which the Afrika Korps could retreat.
 The manner in which the Ger. man challenge was delivered to the Americans was not stated in dis- patches from Africa, but it was clear that the United States forces ac. cepted the issue promptly. They moved forward 22 miles from Semed and dashed into Maknassy, only B miles from the coast below Sfax. There they took their prisoners and retired without attempting to fight through to the sea. t
 Allied resistance stiffened against the attempt of the Germans to. widen their corridor of retreat by attacking in the Ousselita valley of Tunisia. American and British armored units have been brought up to support French forces hold~ ing that sector.
 Algerian dispatches to Madrid said that most of the Afrika KorpS armored units, moving by night to escape Allied planes, had reached a point north of Gabes and were continuing to retreat. That would indicate that Marshal Erwin Rome mel intended to take his Panzeg units all the way to Sousse or Tunis before attempting 8 stand. .
 AirdrOme Raided M
 The Allied air attack grew im intensity. American medium bonnhs CTS raided the German airdrome at Mendenine twice within a few mine utes. Between 25 and 30 enemy planes were believed to have been destroyed. Boeing flying fortreSse9 attacked SouSse and hit large mera chant ship, while Spitfires and P-40n swept Axis troop concentrations 0lA road in the MaknasSy- Graiba area.
 Increased American. participatiol in the Pont Du Fans engagemen in which ill-equipped French troops had taken the early brunt of the fighting-coincided with accelerae tion of Allied air blows.
 The greatest concentration a aa <1 rected along the barren North Afs rican coast from zuara, GA miles west of Tropoli, to Gabes, big soutf@ east Tunisia supply port.
 German forces striving to coVe the last stages of the hundred ] miles of hell" from Tripoh to th&
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