Evening star., 1943-05-05
American Capture of Moteur
Led by Washington officer
1t. Col. Hoy's Men
Also Were First to
Join 9th Army
By HAROLD v. BOYLE,


MATEUR, Tunisia, May de-
layed> While retreating Germans
were blowing up a bridge on the
other side of town an American
reconnaissance unit captured this
key center today after smashing 13
miles from the south through burst
ing artillery shells and deadly mine
fields.
The unit was headed by 1t. Col.
Charles j. Hoy of Washington,
whose men were also the first Amer
leans to contact the British 9th
Army in the historic meeting last
month on the road to Gabes and
who have taken more than 1000
prisoners since March %.
He was standing by a half track
sending orders to members of the
unit still chasing Germans when he
described how he took the town.
Our orders were to keep pushing
forward until we met the enemy"
said the lean, leathery-faced little
officer who looks more like a coun-
try storekeeper than the intrepid
leader of a reconnaissance outfit
which has been the chief eyes and
ears of the American Army in the
North African campaign.
Town Still Under Fire.
I'VE started right after daybreak
and got in here at 1l::3O after
hurdling through heavy wine fields
and light enemy opposition" Col.
Hoy explained.
The first group of his men to
enter the town, Col. Hoy said. was
led by Capt. Alfred McCutcheon
OF Dallas, Tex, who also led the
outfit that met advanced elements
Of Gen. Sir Bernard L. Montgom-
ery's army on the Gabes road.
AS Col. Hoy told his story in a
command post on the southern edge
of the town artillery shells thrown
by the Germans burst on a field
! bordering the road a few hundred
yards away on the route we had
used to enter the town a few min
utes before.
Beside the command post a doc
tor was bandaging wounded SOL
dier.
The town itself is still under fire, :"
Col. Hoy said smilingly. They are
dug in in a wadi northeast of the
town few kilometers and have been
dropping some II shells in our di-
rection.
We're trying to get them out now.
Don't go east of town on that road.
When we came into Mateur. the
few French left in it came out and
cheered us. In 10 minutes they
had French flags flying and some
men dug up old French uniforms
and put them on.
They must have been keeping
them in hiding.
Took 20 Prisoners.
We didn't waste any time but
pulled everything right on through
and kept on going. North of Mateur
and in the town itself we picked UP
% prisoners, including some Italian
marines and soldiers of a German
tropical medical unit.
! AAc HiCi-Cli tONiiSptOplc lNem.
selves Immediately organized a po-
lice detail to keep order"
Col. Hoy said that mines fur
nished most of the trouble on the
13 miles advance and that the Ger
mans had blown up one bridge as
they approached the town from the
southwest.
They blew up another bridge
leading out of town to the northeast
after we were in Mateur," Col. Hoy
continued. They must have had a
time fuse. We caught two Germans
there. shot one and captured the
other.
"One unit which Capt. McCutch-
con led swung westward after 60
ing through town and took a number
O; prisoners.
In brief tour of the city Col.
Hoy showed this writer where ar
| tillery shells in the morning bar
lage by the Germans had SCARED