| Show Nazis Evacuate As British Advance LONDON Nov 20 UP Germany UP-Germany UP Germany announced the evacuation evacuation evacuation tion of second city of Libya before lefore the relentlessly driving driving ing British Eighth army Friday as United States and British troops oops to the west fought deep in Tunisia toward the great naval base o. o It meant that the British Eighth army under General Sir Bernard 1 Montgomery only a few weeks ago facing an uphill fight for Alexandria and the Suez canal had driven the Africa corps of ofField ofField ofField Field Marshal Erwin Rommel and andt t the e big Italian Libyan army more than miles to the west toward the the trap being closed in by the American British army under Lieutenant General Kenneth A. A N. A N. N Anderson Aderson Germany said had been evacuated according to plan and that that all installations and r rOads ads in inthe the area had been dynamited Rommel Stand Uncertain There was no intimation Rommel would try to tomake tomake make a stand at El miles beyond and j miles from Tunisia I t But a British re re- re pealed Friday that the Eighth army anny had delivered a shattering blow to his chances by taking or orI I destroying 28 of his pitiful handful 1 lof of tanks 24 priceless guns and i motor vehicles northeast of Ben Ben- gasi gasi g f I It was announced here that Gent Gen- Gen t jeral eral George Ritter von Thoma I e Rommel's second in command who was captured early in the British I drive drive had been brought to Eng- Eng I Allied headquarters here confirmed confirmed confirmed con con- firmed that In the first big clash between allied and axis aids forces in Tunisia the allies aIlles had destroyed 11 German tanks Succeed in Landing Though the mere fact that the German tanks had been destroyed was tacit confirmation that the Germans were succeeding in landing landing landing land land- ing armored units in Tunisia it was believed here that the number was small and that the loss of 11 tanks was a serious blow It was expected that the allies aIlles would now speed up the pace of their drive trying to crush resistance resistance resistance resist resist- ance before the axis could sneak in formidable reinforcements under under under un un- un- un der cover of darkness It was indicated that the hard- hard driving allied army was within striking dis distance ance of the French naval base on the north coast of Tunisia Ahead head of the allied troops British British British Brit Brit- ish and American parachutists and hastily organized French rench regulars were were fighting side by side against ferocious German attacks to hold air bases and strong points Advance on Lieutenant General Kenneth A. A N. N Andersons Anderson's British American and French troops were advancing direct toward along an inland road through the mountains a little to the south and direct across the waist of Tunisia toward the Gulf of Gabes while the British British British Brit Brit- ish Eighth army continued driving driving driving ing westward through Libya and anda a French motorized force sped northward through the blistering Sahara desert toward Tripoli Radio Morocco Mor co revealed that Inthe in inthe inthe the first clash in force between allied and axis forces Tuesday eight of a formation of 30 German tanks had been at one point and that three more had been destroyed at another Several Several Several Sev Sev- eral British field guns and antitank antitank antitank anti anti- tank guns were put out of action but the Germans infantry as well as tanks retreated The federal communications commission at Washington quoted radio Morocco that parachutists destroyed six heavy enemy armored armored armored ar ar- ar- ar mored vehicles and took several prisoners Axis Axi radios reported that fighting fighting fight- fight ing ng was now in progress along the coastal road between Tabarca and 60 miles to the east in inthe inthe inthe the mountains to the south and at an unspecified inland point still farther to the south At Gabes on the east coast toward which one allied force was advancing the Germans succeeded ded dedin in n taking the town including the town own hall hail and barracks and in landing anding light tanks and borne air infantry despite gallant resistance by the small French garrison |
