| Show Intense Tunisian Battle Viewed As Decisive Engagement By DeWitt Mackenzie Associated Press War Analyst st Fierce fighting frequently with cold steel in to hand-to-hand conflict conflict conflict con con- is continuing among the powerful powerful powerful pow pow- erful defenses in the great arc of mountains behind which the axis forces are making their final stand standon on African soil This was to be expected and the battle among the peaks is likely to go on unceasingly and with increasing intensity until the crack We are witness- witness ing ing no ordinary struggle but one of the decisive engagements of the whole war for the united nations operations against the nazi-held nazi European continent depend in large measure on our success in Tunisia The axis collapse may mayor or may not come quickly but it can be expected to come suddenly when it finally arrives arrives and and arrive It will Violent Eruption Virtually the whole arc is In violent eruption The allies are hitting it from end to end thereby compelling the enemy to defend t I himself in many places at once British American and French forces are stabbing violently Into the axis defenses in five main operations operations chiefly chiefly astride strategic strangle strategic stra stra- highways running through the mountain fastnesses to th the coastal plain beyond beyond and and have been een making progress in all sectors sec sec- tors ors though slowly and with bloody toil These five operations whIch operations which actually are subdivided so that nearly a dozen thrusts are being made made are are like the fingers and thumb of a hand which is squeezing squeezing ing ng a toy balloon Sooner or later one of those fingers will sink deep enough to explode the balloon Just Fust so sooner or later one of the attacking f for forces o r c e s will break breakthrough breakthrough through and open up a route to the coastal plain Over that route will pour our mechanized forces and the end of the great battle will be in sight Indeed the Algiers radio Monday Monday Monday Mon Mon- day reported that French forces have lave broken through the mountaIns mountains moun- moun ains guarding the Tunis plain inthe in inthe the he neighborhood of Pont du Fahs near the southern end of the line This Is the unit which Sunday was credited with capturing the Important important tant ant heights of Mansour Details are lacking to enable us uso to o judge Just what has happened In n this sector Yanks Transferred On the far northern end end end- of the theine theline theline line ine we have the French who are driving eastward along the coast to Just below them is our American corps under Lieutenant Lieutenant Lieutenant Lieuten Lieuten- ant General George Blood and Guts Patton Jr recently transferred transferred transferred trans trans- there from the southern sector With such speed and efficiency efficiency efficiency effi effi- as to draw commendation from British General Sir Harold Alexander The Yanks have been swinging into nto action like veterans and have been holding up their end of the show well They are astride the highly i Imp important m p o 0 r t tan a n t Sed highway y and railway and have captured several enemy hills hUls in an advance of several miles Below the American corps is the British First army hammering away on either side of el Bab which they hold and which is center of several highways as aswell aswell aswell well as a railway Below them are the Fr French operating in the Mansour s sector Then of course clear down in the southwest southwest southwest south south- west at the end of the line Une is theone the theone theone one and only Montgomery with his busting axis-busting Eighth army which is thrusting northward along both the coastal road and the highway to I The American and British air forces tA continue to pile a mighty I lot of straws on the axis camels camel's back They are driving the enemy out of the air blasting the communications communications com com- between his bases and his mountain forces destroying the supply depots themselves and goIng going goIng go go- Ing a long way toward isolating him from continental aid Eyes of Forces But the air fleets are doing more than that They are the eyes of our ground forces which otherwise otherwise otherwise other other- wise would have to push more o oless or orless orless less blindly in among the axIs axi mountain d de defenses e f fen e n s e s. s Naturally theres there's a lot that cant can't be seen from a plane over such concealed positions but a pilot can see more mor than the chap on the ground A captured document indicates indicate that Marshal Rommel may have hav been recalled to the continent I If he has been taken away from hi hIs troops it may easily have an adverse adverse adverse ad ad- verse effect on their morale Certainly Certainly Certainly the loss of his leadership will be felt for he Inspired hi hIs men |
