Show Hitler Turns Tunisian Battle Into Major Effort By WES VES GALLAGHER ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN NORTH AFRICA Jan 5 UP RI UP- UP Hitler's attempt to keep the Med Mediterranean blo blocked ked to allied shipping has turned the Tunisian war into a major effort w with r t h thousands of German and ana Italian troops deployed from to the border along with part of the line first-line strength of Df the German Gennan air force This purely personal conclusion is based bad d' d on a mile 2100 trip to the thew w war r front in a jeep topped with another miles of travel in a F. F Flying F Fortress much of it on a abom bom bombing ing mission over Tunis F th the jeep trip was war by by- far the the These are the main Impressions I got in traveling over over the front One Rain One Rain and the constant threat of f rain make allied tank warfare impossible in northern Tunisia ul until til late late February There are o only ly a few ma main n roads leading into Tunis and and the ground between them is nothing but butr muck which would mire the lightest tank Two Two The The Germans with short lines Jines of f communication a perimeter ter defense of the two ports and anda a great concentration of artillery and aerial protection from S Sardinia Sar r- r dinia and Sicily could halt any infantry assault with murderous losses Three Three Three-In In the north land warfare warfare warfare war war- fare has stagnated with neither side able to take a definite initia initia- tive Four Four Four-D Four Despite Despite spite the he advantage of established bases in Sicily and Sard Sardinia Sar Sar- d dinia nia within easy reach of the front the Germ German n air force is losing it its its' punch in th the fa face fae e of ot otal al allied allied allied al- al lied opposition and is only a a shadow of the terrible weapon It t was in Greece and France Five The Five The lack of air fields is handicapping the allied air effort but the military punishment being dealt out by by Flying Fortresses Lockheed Lightning P 38 fighters fighters fight fight- ers ens and andR RAF A F attacks is 10 times as eff effective militarily R as the blows of the German air force Six Six French French tr troops ops with a tot total l disregard of politics and antiquated equipment are fighting with great Continued on Page Four Column Five BOMBERS BLAST SOUTH TUNISIA Continued from P Page g On One gallantry particularly at Pont du Fahs and in the south along a a. winding irregular line Une through the mountains toward Se en The Seven The Germans are makIng making mak- mak ing ng great preparations for the defense defense de- de ense of their positions in Tunisia One hindrance to the allied drive Is s the terrain which next to the weather is the key to the situation situa- situa tion ion It resembles that of Ariona Ari Art zona ona in appearance with fewer trees and with great mountains o ot t roc rock cut by n narrow twisting roads Roads Run Straight There are great plateaus in central contral cen- cen ral Tunisia where the roads run from rom 50 to 60 miles without turning turn turn- ing often skirting the ruins of old Roman cities Along these roads war chariots raced hundreds of years ago N Now w sleek Lightning fighters whisk down them a few feet over the camels driven by Arabs But where once appeared appeared ap- ap eared only 15 now appear Where 40 0 axis fighters flew only four now flow fly When they are challenged challenged chal chal- by the R H RAP F and American American Ameri Amen can fighters they quickly pear ear The Germans obviously are husbanding their waning strength To the soldier underneath particularly particularly par- par the dive bombing is still hell but it is impossible to keep every enemy plane off every allied soldier The Germans with long prepared fields in Sardinia and Sicily hold every advantage but hey have been unable to exploit them hem to the extent they did in Greece Crete and Norway In dry weather Tunisia's great plateaus provide a hundred flying fields ields for the asking but now these fields must be created with thousands of tons of wire netting brought hundreds of miles by I trucks rucks Even with these I have seen Spitfires land in six inches of water water- which sprayed two feet high ugh over the cockpit as the plane came in Bomber Attacks Consistent On the other hand the allied bomber jomber attack has been one of the Jie most consistent of the war Able to pick and choose from fields well behind the lines American bombers smash down on the Germans Germans Germans Ger Ger- mans in Tunis Gabes Sabes and by day while bombers from the middle east command hit by night In the north of Tunisia the war has las gone into wet vet and miserable trenches along the ridges as in World war days It is here that American troops are facing the veteran German troops and learn learn- I ing through hardships the crafts of warIn war In the south there is no line line line- just a series of strong points held by the British parachutists and scattered American troops troops' The Germans use gliders to drop their patrols behind these strong points for guerilla raids while American and French patrols patrols patrols pa pa- often penetrate deep into the enemy lines on similar raids It is a dangerous and exciting country where one never knows while driving along whether parachutists parachutists parachutists para para- or glider troops have mined the road or bridge just ahead S I can still hear the howls of rage from the ground troops They have been dive-bombed dive and strafed dozens of times I I. I have done my share of ditch jumping as raked the road Nazis Conserving Strength It is still true that the Germans can raid the allied lines making daylight travel on the few roads road danger dangerous us and they even control controlS S the air for short periods |