San Mateo Times
SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24, 1943
NAZIS REGAIN MARETH LINE
U. S. Forces Hold at Maknassy
MONTGOMERY CLAIMS
ROMMEL REPULSED
IN COUNTER ATTACKS
LONDON, March 24.—(U.R)—Radio Algiers said today that a
German counter-attack had regained most of the territory won'byv
the British Eighth army in the early stages of the drive' against
the Mareth line.
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS, North Africa, March 24.— (U.P) -
— German counter-attacks at the Mareth line and against American
positions in South Central Tunisia have been repulsed in
fierce fighting, an allied headquarters communique said today.
In' London, Prime Minister Winston Churchill told commons
that the German attacks had all but wiped out the bridgehead,
that the British Eighth army had made in the Mareth line.
''The latest information from the Mareth front," he ; said in re-
sponse to a question, shows that the Germans by counter-attacks
have regained the greater part of the bridgehead which had been
stormed and that their main line of defense in that quarter ,has been
largely restored.
Hard Fighting Ahead
RUSS CAPTURE
VITAL POINT
ON NORTH LINE
MOSCOW, March 24.— (LP)— The
Red army today stormed and cap
tured a tactically-important defense
line above Dukhovschinaonly
30 miles northeast of the German
central front bastion of
Smolensk.
(The Moscow radio said 52,000
Germans were killed in the recent
fighting between the northern Donets
and the Dnieper in South Russiad.)
Attacks Fail
New, Giant U.S.
Bombers Reach
British Front
Allies Ready Soon for
Continuous, Heavier
Air Attacks
LONDON, March 24.—(U.P)—
New, bigger, and faster American bombers which will carry
three or four times the bomb weight of the present Flying
Fortresses soon will he thrown into a "round-the-clock" bombardment
of Europe, Maj. Gen. Ira 0. Eaker said today.
Eaker, commander of the United States' army air forces in
Britain, made the disclosure in announcing that the Flying Fortresses
and Liberators had proven the practicability of high level precision
bombing by daylight.
Day and Night
Eaker's force now is ready to build up to a striking power on a
par with that of the Royal Air Force, he Eaid, and to begin the sus-
tained offensive in which the Americans will strike at Europe by day
and the British by night.
Eaker disclosed no further specifications of the new American
bombers which will outreach and out-carry the Flying Fortresses,
which have a bomb capacity of three or four tons at an extreme
range of about 4000 miles.
The experimental period in which the heavy American bombers
proved their ability to fly alone and ward off enemy fighters
has ended, Eakcr said.
52 Nazis Destroyed
Hold Fast or Die,
Hitler to Rommel
By United Press
The Algiers radio delayed reports that Adolph Hitler has
ordered German Marshal Erwin Rommel and Gen. Jurgen Von Armin
to hold fast or die in Tunisia.
Gen. Montgomery, commander of the Eighth army, the broadcaster
said, "will do all he can to see that the second part of the
order is carried out."
25O Jap Planes Destroyed in
Devastating Air Raid on Rabaul
GEN. MacARTHUR'S HEADQUARTERS,
Australia. March 24.—(UP)—United States bombers were
believed today to have blasted new holes in the gathering Japanese
air strength north of New Guinea with a devastating raid that netted
"a substantial portion" of at. Least 250 grounded planes at. the key
enemy base of Rabaul on New Britain island,
The raid came off before dawn yesterday, a communique reported.
Three formations of heavy American bombers let loose M tons of
bombs ranging from 2000-pounders to incendiaries on three airdromes.
They showered down explosives for an hour and a half and when
they turned homeward their crews saw fires in the target areas
sending smoke thousands of feet into air.
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