| Show A I nt I TT By Major or Paul C. C I A AXIS I IS D DOOmed d. d in T TUniSia XI S in Wd-Militar Wd Noted Military WrIter NEW YORK INS The INS The axis for forces es in Tunisia are trying g desperately des des- to hold that portion of Tunisia which they now occupy at all costs Without doubt the German and Italian lineup of defense is about as follows The citadels of and T Tunis nis and Cape Bon are to be toe held to the death Axis forces are deployed the full depth of Tunisia to the salt marshes facing the Anglo Anglo- American troops now in western Tunisia This may be ba considered considered considered consid consid- ered the main axis defense tion On this is line the enemy's defense mission will be to hold the mountain passes But it must be remembered that British British Brit Brit- ish and United States troops at some places were on the westside west westside westside side of the mountains and well down toward the plain German and Italian troops must also be deployed in the panhandle which ends at the Mareth line Their function isto Is Isto to meet and hold back General Montgomery's Eighth a arm army r m y whose threat to the southern end of the axis line Is as great as the Anglo American attack out of the west Therefore in general it will be seen that British British Brit Brit- British ish French and American troops are in position ion to deliver a great squeeze squeeze action attack The British First army is inthe in inthe inthe the northern section of the western western west west- ern line the American Fifth inthe in inthe inthe the southern section of the same line and apparently there are French troops with either or both these armies General Montgomery's Eighth British army and Fighting g French are attacking from the south at the left flank of the enemy position Probably the first mission of Anglo American troops coming out of the west will be to cut Tunisia and the axis forces In two by driving through to the coast This may be done perhaps perhaps per per- haps before the cities of Bi Bi- and Tunis are attacked At the same time this drive from the west must pound at possibly at first principally by air the rear of the axis troops in the south fighting against General Montgomery It was for this reason that the recent enemy enemy enemy ene ene- my thrusts were made in the central and southwestern portions por por- portions against American troops The axis commander wanted our advance airfields pushed back and our troops forced to the west side of the mountain passes All axis thrusts now have been stopped and no one need fear that any axis advance In any direction will get out of allied al allied al al- lied control I These recent German Italian German Italian attacks have already been most costly to the axis arms They cannot afford to lose 17 heavy tanks in one days day's fighting It was estimated that only 45 percent per percent percent cent of the supplies shipped by sea to the African corps reached Tripoli A much lesser per cent centis is now reaching northern Tunisia Tu Tu- Tunisia nisia even though the water route is only 90 miles across Heavy tanks can only be replaced replaced re re- placed by ship transportation As General Montgomery's army moved westward along the northern coast of Libya he automatically automatically au au- opened the eastern Mediterranean to the British navy and merchant shipping He likewise eliminated all axis air airbases airbases airbases bases In that area Now the siege of Malta has been lifted That tiny citadel Is at pr present sent receiving supplies regularly andall and andall andall all the airplanes that can be based on it Malta is only about miles from the east coast of Tunisia and much less than from the Island of Sicily Axis shipping across the bottleneck is now subject to continuous attack attack attack at at- tack from Malta It has recently been claimed that the island of just justoff justoff justoff off the southeastern point of the gulf of Gabes has been captured by the British Eighth army This is only about miles south of the bottleneck channel and if the report is true it provides another another an an- other base from which all of Tunisia as well as the bottleneck bottleneck bottle bottle- neck may be attacked by allied planes In other words at present the united nations air forces are close to and on on three sides of besieged Tunisia This ability of air attack coupled with the British navy in the Mediterranean Mediterranean will continuously cut down air and sea shipments of replenishments to the axis forces in this French colony No there is no angle from which this coming battle may be analyzed that does not spell the doom of the axis forces in Tu Tu- nisia But dont don't forget the battle battle battle bat bat- tle will be won for the democracies democracies democracies cies by blood sweat and tears |
