Show V n l Behind e in d the N War News 5 1 eb t I By Robert G G. G Nixon INS War Correspondent O d i The grim shadow of the worst defeat Germany has suffered since her panzer legions began trampling Europe underfoot in 1939 today hangs like an avenging avenging avenging ing sword over Rommel's battered battered battered bat bat- Afrika Korps in Tunisia In five to six weeks weeks the the latter latter latter lat lat- lat lat- ter part of May Mayy and early June the the battle of Africa should be beat beat beat at an end with a smashing al allied allied allied al- al lied victory Ten days ago I 1 stood on the then thenor n nor north o r t h African battleground where the American and allied allied armies are waging a battle of annihilation against the remnants remnants remnants rem rem- nants of Rommel's Rommel s 's divisions I saw the mounting power of the final Anglo-American Anglo thrust at atthe atthe atthe the Tunisian bridgehead gaining momentum I returned to the United States after six months with the American and British armies in inthe inthe inthe the north African campaign with the conviction that the battle battle battle bat bat- tle will soon be over and the way paved for the coming assault assault assault as as- sault against Hitler-dominated Hitler Europe Theres There's poetic justice in the gathering momentum of events in Tunisia as the combined might of the British First and Eighth armies and the American Second corps is being thrown against the rapidly shrinking German and Italian bridgehead In the pocket calendars of British Tommies in various divisions divisions divisions divi divi- of both the First and Eighth armies the dates from May 25 through June are ringed around In red Three years ago these days marked the period in which Germanys Germany's then invincible invincible invincible invin invin- cible ground and air legions smashed France and drove the British expeditionary force into the sea at Dunkerque At least three of the British divisions now fighting in Tunisia were at Dunkerque To a man they are living and fighting to erase crase the memory of Dunkerque on its third anniversary anniversary anniversary anni anni- in a debacle for Germany Germany Germany Ger Ger- many and Italy that will make Tunisia a black chapter in axis war history history- for generations to come The expectancy of an early shutout in Tunisia however is tempered by the memory that a determined force of hardly more than one British division with not a single plane to support them held against all Rommel's strength for nine months earlier in the African campaign A similar British force however in the succeeding blitz that took Rommel t to gates of Alexandria lost Tob Tobin Tobin Tobin WO CI in four days On the map of Africa the miles by 35 miles bit of land t 38 s1 1 the Rommel and Von A 5 S 51 forces now hold appears appears' appears t ino i no obstacle at all I have b bI p plot O asked why the combined An Ang ap p American armies cannot b brt them into the sea tomorrow l J get on with the invasion of I 1 Ii ld y rope tile the The answer is that Tunisia no 0 50 one of the toughest stretches V toland tt to land in the world today in wh to wage war and that Romme t. t desert veterans J all the tricks of war armed the teeth with tanks cane cann i hOf mines and rapid rapid fire fire weapon jt ji are fighting for every foot lan land with great tenacity and d termination land that nat st er ver in a t made for defense S mj frO perfect l- l Mgr The Tunisian bridgehead d elc s 8 studded with mountains as t thi ape as teeth in a sharks shark's mouth TI of f hills are sown with T v artillery positions and machin r eg e ef g gun nests e J The valleys are death trap Jo to every square yard of the waY d dIs is country in which infantry infantry a av j sap JaP p tillery and motor fire must fi figl joe me for every inch of land gain gaine v against a large well equiP ed cand c cand cand and veteran foe The hardest bloodiest f L Lof ce of the entire African rL S' S lies ahead for try probably th jr 8 Ii American and British forces if the next few weeks The Amer Ame of d ican public must be prepared fo fob J r news that there have been heavy losses But the outcome is in evitable W The prospect for the Germai Germa German and Italian armies in Tunisia b is 4 not another Dunkerque At Ati a Dunkerque the bulk of the Brit ish army got out It lost it weapons but its men lived to toZ fight again The prospect for tall Hitler and Mussolini in Tunisia 1 is the loss of the army that now remains there There are t noil ships of every size to cross y from Sicily and southern Italy Ital Italy l I to take these armies home as ast crossed the English channel i in inthe j in n the dark days of Dunkerque Some few Germans and Ita Italians ItaW Ital- ians may get out of Tunisia Tunisia The rest must stand and die or be taken prisoner IF Hitler has ordered the Ger mans to stand and fight to end The measure of their desperation desperation des des- and the extent of their supplies will date the end of then the Tunisian campaign and the open c f cing fing ing up of the road across the Mediterranean J JiK |