Daily Post - 31.03.1943, Blaðsíða 1

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IV
59
Wednesday, Marcfa 31, 1943
Allles Occupy El Hanma
8th Army Pass Through Gables
London, March 30th.
The vanguard of the British Eighth Arrny has passed
through Gábes, and is in contact with the retreating enemy.
Yesterday, the Allied fighterbombers’ attacks were the hea-
viest ever carried out in the desert war.
When Mr. Churchill rose in
the House of Commons this
morning, he had this good
news to give of the Allied of-
fensive in Tunisia. He had
just been cabled the news that
E1 Hamma had been occupied
fay Allied troops yesterday, —
and that forward troops of od
the British Eighth Army were
in actual contact with the re-
treating Axis forces north of
Gabes, through which our forc-
es passed last night.
8000 PRISONERS
Soon after Mr. Churchill
announcement, the official
communiqué was received,
which had this to add to the
news already given by the
Prime Minister: “In spite of
strong enemy rearguard action,
-our forces continue to advance
northwards, and the number of
prisoners taken by the Eighth
Army since the 20th of March
has risen to 8.000.”
The road from Gabes to
Sfax, 70 miles further on, is
swarming with Rommel’s for-
ces, while overhead can be
heard the incessant roar of Al-
lied fighters, fighterbombers
and bombers, as the non-stop
attack goes on. Yesterday’s at-
tacks by the Allied fighterbom
bers are officially described as
the heaviest of the whole des-
ert war.
A.NZACS IN ACTION
Mr. Churchill revealed that
it was Gen. Freyberg who was
in command of the troops. He
attacked the Nazis at E1 Ham-
ma, was responsible for out-
flanking Rommel at E1 Ala-
main. As might be inferred, —
the troops under Gen. Frey-
berg are largely New Zealand-
ers, and these, together with
the 51st Highland Division,
are well in the front of the
picture.
NOVEL AIR ATTACKS
The Prime Minister then
spoke of the extraordinary
success which attended the no-
vel form of Allied air attacks
launched in support of the Al-
lied forces at E1 Hamma. In
these had participated every
type of aircraft the Allies had
at their command in this war
zone, and undoubtedly the
losses suffered by the enemy
in both men and material had
been very great. In particular
the panzer divisions of the
Nazis had been remarkably
mauled and enfeebled, although
it was too soon to say what
proportion of the 20th and 21st
Italian Army Corps had been
left behind.
Dealing with the rest of the
battlefront, to-day’s communi-
qué reports Allied progress in
the Gafsa sector, following lo-
cal attacks, during which 200
enemy prisoners were taken.
In> the northern sector, also,
the Allied forces continue to
advance in face of stiff opposi-
tion.
East of E1 Gouettar, Ameri-
can forces are now about 50
miles from the coast road, and
in the Ousseltie Plain, Gener-
al Giraud announces an ad-
vance of six miles by the
French forces.
The rest of the day’s news
tells of the terrific pounding
the enemy is getting from the
air. The coast road in places
can only be described as a cha
os of flame, death and destruc-
tion. Dozen of enemy vehicles
have been destroyed, and
hundreds damaged.
Rnssia
Holds Firm
The Russians report local
successes in the Donetzs sec-
tor Nazi attempts to cross the
Don in this region have all
been frustrated. The Germans
are sacrificing men and materi
al to establish a bridgehead,
but the Soviet forces are hold
ing firm.
Japanese Airbase
Raided
Gen. MacArthurs HQ an-
nounced today a smashing blow
by allied bomber planes on the
new Japanese airbase of Wew-
ak, New Guinea, The Allied
planes flew back and forth a-
cross the airfield, town and
harbor for three hrs. dropping
hundreds of bombs including
500 and 1000 pounders. A 4000
ton cargo ship in the harbor
was hit by two heavy bombs
and was damaged severely. Ali
planes returned safely in spite
of heavy anti-aircraft fire. Al-
lied flyers also blasted the Jap
bases of Lae Salamaoa and
Mubo on New Guinea. The
enemy apparently is attempting
to build up Wewak into a ma-
jor operational base.
Rationing In America
This is the day American
housewives begin buying
cheese, fats, and canned fish
by the point rationing system.
The new items put about half
the nations food supplies under
rationing regulations. There are
some areas where butchers are
short of meat to fill orders ex-
pected under the rationing sy-
stem. The OPA has authorized
Wilson and Company. Chicago
packers, to send one and a qu-
arter million pounds of meat
to New York. The same com-
pany was given authority to
move meat to some other shor-
tages areas.
Price 50 aurar.
Berlin’s Third
Raid
Rnhr also attacked
Lonon, March 30th.
RAF aircraft of Bomber
Command made a heavy and
concentrated attack on Berlin
last night, the third this month
raid to have been successful.
Twenty-one of our aircraft
failed to return.
Another force of the RAF’s
heavy bombers struck at targ-
ets in the German Ruhr, in-
cluding the great coal, iron and
steel centre of Bochum, near
Dorthmund. Bochum also has
big tin and zinc works. This
cost us 12 aircraft.
THICK WITH ICE
Later to-day, details were
given of the Berlin raid. Our
planes had to fly through some
of the most atrocious weather
conditions ever encountered
through clouds thick with ice
all the way over the North
Sea. The pilots had to try
climbing above this icy fleece
nearly all the way to the Ger-
man capital.
CRESCENT OF FLAMES
In spite of this, the raid is be
lieved to have been entirely
successful. As our bombers left
home, the target area was seen
to be blazing furiously, the
fires lirtking up to form a
huge crescent of flames, cover-
ing all the main objectives of
our attack.
BIG EXPLOSION
Our crews particularly men-
tion one big explosion in the
target area, too big even for
an 8,000 pounder to have caus-
ed it. The German capital’s de
fences were now stronger than
they were the last time, and
night fighters were also up.—
One Junkers 88 was shot down
over the city.