THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, APRIL 28, 1943:
American troops stormed and captured three fiercely
defended hills straddling the road to Mateur and Bizerte and
the British First army battled. for a commanding height at Medjerda
village 21 miles west of Tunis.
R. A. F, heavy bombers struck at industrial Duisburg in Germany, Monday night
in what the Air Ministry described as " one of the heaviest attacks
of the war."
Seventeen planes were lost from a force which the RAF described as
"in great strength”.
A very heavy concentration of Liberators of United
States Ninth Air Force blasted an airdrome on the southeast coast of Italy
yesterday. One hundred and twenty-five tons of bombs gutted the airdrome and
assembly points
Sixteen American officers in the RAF and RCAF transferred to the U.S. forces
yesterday in London. Ten flying officers joined the Air Force as first lieutenants
and six pilot officers accepted USAAF commissions as second lieutenants.
The Sheboygan Press
T H E PAST IS GONE WE FACE T O - D AY.
SHEBOYGAN, WIS., WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 1943.
Americans Storm
Hills Near Mateur
Allied Headquarters In .North
Africa. —(AP).— American troops stormed and captured three fiercely
defended hills straddling the road to Mateur and Bizerte and
the British First army battled. for a commanding height at Medjerda
village 21 miles west of Tunis, it was announced at Allied headquarters
today, as Allied forces hammered against the tenaciously'
defended but weakening Axis bridgehead in Tunisia.
The British First and Eighth armies, the Second U, S. Army
Corps, and the French made "steady progress," an Allied "communique
said, but it was by dint of hardest fighting, especially in
the Medjez-El-Bab sector where Allied- attacks, were - followed – by
enemy counterattacks air day yesterday.
The Americans under – Lieut. Gen. George S. Patton, Jr., cleaned-
Col. Gen. Jurgen von Arnim's northern Germans and Italians out
of Djebel Dardyss and occupied important high ground.
Threaten Jefna Station
THE STARS AND STRIPES
Daily Newspaper of U.S. Armed Forces in the European Theater of Operations
New York, N.Y.—London, England Wednesday, April 28, 1943
Americans Moving Toward Tebourba
Nazis' Defense Shell
Is Reported Broken
Northeast of Medjez
U.S. and French Forces Only Nine Miles
From Tebourba, Outpost of Tunis;
British Make New Gains
By the United Press
Axis troops are retreating towards Tebourba, less than 20 miles from
Tunis itself, with the shell of the bridgehead defenses in Tunisia broken in
at least one sector northeast of Medjez El Bab, according to,, reports last
night from Allied forces headquarters.
One report placed American and French troops only eight or nine miles
from Tebourba, and there was no indication where the enemy intended to
make a stand.
Further southeast British troops have dented the Axis positions, and
Allied armor, including Churchills and Shermans, has thrust a.spearhead
forward to a point five miles from the important Pont du Fahs defenses.
French troops have taken a height overlooking the town of Pont du Fahs, whose
capture is imminent. In the extreme north American and
French troops are pushing ahead, now less than 12 miles from Mateur, with the
Axis troops moving back fairly quickly on one part of the front.
The Eighth Army also has made more progress, although there is no indication
that their main attack on the Hallouf line has yet been launched.
Savage Fighting
Fighting on all parts of the front, yesterday was described by an official spokesman
as " bloody, fierce, stubborn and savage," as the Germans battled desperately
to hold the Allies advances. The fighting in the Medjez sector of the front
was the heaviest and also the most decisive.
Duisburg Hit
By Big RAF Night Force
Nazi Inland Port Blasted
In One of the War's
Heaviest Raids
Heaviest Raids'
R. A. F, heavy bombers struck at industrial Duisburg in Germany, Monday night
in what the Air Ministry described as " one of the heaviest attacks
of the war."
Seventeen planes were lost from a force which the RAF described as
"in great strength." The Air Ministry's description of the raid on
Europe's second largest inland port " would put it in the class of the 1,500-ton
bombings of Cologne and other targets of saturation raids."
In daylight yesterday Allied light
bombers and fighters took up the offensive, striking across the Channel at
German shipping and sweeping against the Nazi-held coast. One enemy
fighter was shot down without Allied loss, it was reported
The attack Monday night was the 59th On Duisburg
The last raid was on Apr. 9, when eight bombers were lost.
Highly Concentrated
USAAF Blasts
Axis Assembly
Drome in ltaly
Planes,Hangars,Runways
'Utterly Destroyed' by
125 Tons of Bombs
CAIRO, Apr. 27 (AP)—A very heavy concentration of Liberators of United
States Ninth Air Force blasted an airdrome on the southeast coast of Italy
yesterday. One hundred and twenty-five tons of bombs gutted the airdrome and
assembly points.
Bari—which was one of ""the main assembly points for fighters, fighferbombers
and Stukas for Rommel's aid to Tunisia—was completely blanketed by
American high-explosive and fragmentation 'bombs. A quarter of a million
pounds were dropped as the planes flew over in continuous waves. Not only aircraft
on the ground, but hangars, runways and the surrounding area were
blasted. All the American planes returned, the communique said.
The American airmen saw tremendous explosions and black smoke rising
thousands of feet into the air from the devastation.
Nothing Escaped
Veterans of RAF, RCAF
Transfer to U.S. Air Force
By Andrew A. Rooney
Stars and Stripes Staff Writer
Sixteen American officers in the RAF and RCAF transferred to the U.S. forces
yesterday in London. Ten flying officers joined the Air Force as first lieutenants
and six pilot officers accepted USAAF commissions as second lieutenants.
Fighter and bomber pilots, gunners and air observers were among the 16. Their
experience ranged from a bomber pilot with 37 .missions, and a fighter pilot with
more than 60. sorties and 200 operational hours to untried pilot officers who recently completed their advanced flying course.
F/O Jack Berry, of Parkersburg, W. Va., one of the 16, recently holds the
DFC. " I haven't seen the citation yet; I'm not sure what it's for," Berry said.
Friends explained that last October Berry and five other Wellington pilots
were briefed for a low altitude, daylight raid on Essen. Cloud formations were
supposed to provide cover for the operations but weather cleared as the small
squadron approached the target. Five of the planes turned back, but Berry felt he
could do the job and bring his crew and ship back safely. He carried out the one
plane raid on the heavily guarded area at about 2,500 feet with no casualties.
The Americans said they had joined the RAF and the RCAF for a hundred
different reasons. Some of them were too young to join the U.S. forces, so they
headed for Canada or England where they accepted 18-year-old cadets even at that
time. Others were veteran fliers when they joined, and did it either because Ihey
were looking for adventure or because they wanted to fight the war before other
Americans thought it was time. F/O Albert Eckert,.an RCAF transferee from
Sand Point. Idaho, claimed he joined because " I was too lazy to work.''
Eckert's logbook indicates he has 200 operational
hours, has been on 63 sorties, offensive and defensive,, and shot down a Dornier
217 over the commando action at Dieppe and a FW190 over England.
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