Show I Advances Threaten to Cut Off 1 Troops Defy Counterattacks in Pushing t Forward at af Key Points in Africa 7 r Destroy 14 Tanks in Fierce Fight By Virgil Pi Pinkley kley ALLIED HEADQUARTERS North Africa May 5 UP UP- UP 1 American infantry and armor closed to within 10 miles of 1 naval base and and- captured on the north central Tunisian Tunisian Tuni Tuni- f sian front Wednesday in drives drives th that t threatened to isolate the t p entire axis garrison at from main enemy defense lines j before Tunis k 1 Two desperate German counterattacks counterattacks counterattacks counter- counter attacks were turned back Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday Tues Tues- i day by the Americans in the north and the British First army in the center where 12 or 14 of 17 attacking attacking attacking at- at I tacking nazi tanks were knocked out but front dispatches indicated ed fighting generally was more in Ia inthe the nature of a rear guard delaying delaying delaying delay delay- ing action especially in the Ma- Ma sector The American and French patrols patrols patrols pa pa- north of gained control control control con- con of a key road junction west of Lake pushing up the west slope of and attacking on the south side of Lake These gains dominated the road junction northwest of Lake and threatened the Ferryville junction southwest of the same lake on the main road to Tunis The enemy ene- ene ene enemy nemy ne- ne my however still sUll has a secondary road from to Tunis running running running run run- ning east of the lake lale American troops also captured six miles mUes west of Te Tee on the central front soon after dawn Wednesday according to United Press front dispatches which said that the Germans ineffectively ineffectively ineffectively in- in effectively bombed and attacked attacked attacked at- at tacked a near-by near bridge Tuesday The capture of w was important be because ause 1 It w was a. a 1 p part tt of ofa ofa i a drive with the British First army I designed to crack he the PIC enemy I mountain defenses along the edge of ot the Tunis plain The Germans had withdrawn 13 miles eastward from hill bill to high ground around where where th the Americans attacked quickly In an effort to prevent the enemy from swinging his defenses northward against American armored armed units based on French Gain Advances on all important sectors see see- tors of the last held enemy-held mountain moun moun- tam tain barriers west of Tunis were reported with the French gaining I two miles in the area southeast of ot Pont du Fahs and the British First I army only about 20 miles from the Tunisian capital after knocking out 12 more nazi tanks and probably probably probably proba proba- bly destroying two others The heaviest fighting fighting- on T Tues es- es da da day c centered nt red in the Bou sector 11 miles northeast of Bab el where British piercing armor guns wrecked most of the 17 counterattacking nazi tanks Including giant Mark VI vehicles I But the swiftest gains again I were on the n northernmost sector near where the United States Second corps and French forces were fanning out from captured captured cap cap- in drives northward toward the naval base base- and southeastward southeastward southeastward south south- eastward toward and I Tunis A mile five advance northward rd was scored by the Americans Americana on i ithe the road to Ferryville which lies between Lake and Lake ake ke and forms part of the tle naval base installations Weak Counterattacks North of ot Lake American American Ameri Amen can and French forces pushed advance advance advance ad ad- vance elements to within 10 miles on Pare Two lI Column Five r 5 a lull TUNISIA 3 1 I S I A t tC C Cr Y r Porto Cape Bon Mateu c t ill r f Med ez w v. v r 4 Ille Jett Souk o oC C fV Y w STATUTE MILES Associated Press Map Allied Squeeze in Tunisia Allied drives solid arrows in Tunisia suggest that three pincer movements open arrows arrows arrows ar ar- rows are in the making with Tunis and circle as obi objectives Broken line is present front Allies have beaten off German counterattacks and continue to advance 1 x t Yank Advances Threaten to Isolate From Remainder of Axis Forces in Africa Continued from Page One Ont of while east of the Americans repulsed weak but d desperate sperate enemy counterattacks ks In Inthe inthe inthe the hills beyond the River Tine On the road southeast of where the American thrust threatens to flank the main axis hill defenses west of Tunis Tunis the the Second corps units advanced five miles toward an Important pass The Americans were not yet meeting intense opposition in their efforts to close in on although although although al al- al- al though it was regarded as certain that a a. hard battle for the naval base was in prospect One United States column aided by French swung around the west shores of Lake through heavy scrub scrub to on the north side sie of the lake where they took up positions about noon Tuesday It was at this point that the Germans made a moderately strong counterattack which was repulsed The Americans continued continued continued contin contin- to advance up a near near near-by by hill which dominates I the crossroads northwest of Ferryville Threaten Two Wa Ways s sAs As a a. result enemy po positions lons a at Ferryville were threatened from both the south and the northwest Another American column pushing pushing pushing push push- ing southeast fr from n crossed the River Tine and reached MaIma eight miles southeast of where a weak enemy counterattack counterattack counterattack coun coun- was repulsed is the first ridge reached by the Americans after crossing eastward over the Tine Still farther south American forces captured only six miles west of soon after dawn on Wednesday according to toa toa toa a dispatch from C. C R. R Cunningham United Press correspondent with the Second corps j The Am American rican thrusts south and southeast of the zone were coordinated with the British First army operations on the the central sector east of M el Bab Bab in an effort to pierce or flank the German German German Ger Ger- man hill positions and br break ak into the Tunis plain The American Second corps sent senta a message to allied headquarters paying special tribute to the fighting fighting fighting fight fight- ing ability and courage courage- of French forces fighting on their coastal flank and saying that the French largely made possible the American American Ameri Ameri- can advances The Americans pushing south from and the British moving 1 big ing g north from have cutoff cut cutoff of off a a large sector which th they now now are mopping up Dispatches indicated indicated indicated indi indi- the Germans may have made madea a successful withdrawal l according according according accord accordi i ing to plan In this area in order to shorten their main defense line but it was believed a number of enemy troops might have been trapped On the southwestern front the French southeast of ot Pont Pent du Fahs advanced two miles in heavy fighting fightIng fighting fight- fight Ing crossing the Pont du Fahs- Fahs le road In an attack toward the highest highest highest high high- est peak in Tunisia Unfavorable weather hampered aerial operations over the Tunisian I front generally according to Wednesdays Wednesday's headquarters Cairo dispatches said United States States' heavy bombers in daylight attacked the Italian naval base at Taranto and bombed Reggio Reggio Reggio Reg- Reg gio Calabria on the toe of the Italian Italian Ital Ital- I ian boot A German broadcast broadcast broadcast broad broad- cast by Berlin radio said allied forces had made a slight penetration tion of ot axis lines on the central front but that renewed renewed enemy attacks attacks attacks at at- at- at tacks had been repulsed by c coun coun- un The Italian sai said 1 that powerful powe allied attacks at- at t- t tacks were repulsed every every- where Light naval forces blew up a large merchant ship bound from Naples to Tunis with munitions and mechanical transport and sank an escorting 6 ton ton O-ton Italian torpedo boat east of ot the Cape Bon peninsula Monday night The Thein interception interception in in- was taken as further evidence that the axis is determined determined determined deter deter- mined to make a man last-man stand in inTuni Tuni Tunisia l |