Sunday, April 10, 2011

THIS WAS TODAY; Current Events April 10, 1943: The blitz forces of the British Eighth Army pursued Rommel's beaten A f r i k a Korps up the Tunisian coast today as the Desert Air Force pounded the enemy troops fleeing northeast from Mazzouna and north from Mahares. The Eighth Army had taken 9,500 prisoners since the i n i t i a l attacks on Tuesday morning. A Japanese withdrawal from Lae and Salamaua in British New Guinea is believed to lie behind considerable enemy activity along the northeast coast of the island, according to reliable reports from the Southwest Pacific.

      THE STARS AND STRIPES
Daily Newspaper of U.S. Armed Forces in the European Theater of Operations
                     New York, N.Y.—London, England Saturday, April 10, 1943

Allies Advance, 10,000 Prisoners Taken
Alexander Lauds
U.S. Second Corps
For Part in Drive
Desert Air Force Pounds Fleeing Enemy,
Yanks Mop Up El Giiettar Sector,
British Reach Mahares Line
ALLIED HQ, North Africa, Apr. 9 (API—The blitz forces of the British
Eighth Army pursued Rommel's beaten A f r i k a Korps up the Tunisian coast
today as the Desert Air Force pounded the enemy troops fleeing northeast
from Mazzouna and north from Mahares. The Eighth Army had taken
9,500 prisoners since the i n i t i a l attacks on Tuesday morning.
The American Second Corps mopped up the El Guettar area, taking
1.300 prisoners. Its achievement in engaging the bulk of the enemy's armor
earlier this week on the Eighth Army's flank was highly praised by General
Alexander at a press conference.
Raids by British and American a i r c r a f t were maintained against the retreating
foe during the last two days. A total of 130 enemy vehicles have been
destroyed and 200 damaged. U.S. troops today captured the Djebel
Mazaila height in the mountain range north of Maknassy.
Rommel, pressed hard by Gen. Montgomery's forces, was growing short ol
transports to extricate his rearguard. In the Medjez El Bab sector of northern
Tunisia, the British offensive operations continued and long-range guns knocked
out two enemy tanks.

Jap Withdrawal
At Lae for New
Base Reported
A Japanese withdrawal from Lae and
Salamaua in British New Guinea is believed to lie behind considerable enemy
activity along the northeast coast of the island, according to reliable reports from
the Southwest Pacific.
The Japs are hastily developing Wewak. 300 miles north of Lae, as their main
base, and Mandang, 150 miles north of Lae. as their main forward base,
A huge airfield is under construction with fighter fields nearby in Wewak.
A single Hudson bomber on reconnaissance yesterday bombed and strafed
12 Japanese supply barges for one hour off Kaukenau, on the coast of Dutch New
Guinea, today's Allied communique says. Fires were started on a patrol boat
and three power-driven barges. The remainder were hit and damaged.
The communique also revealed that 34 instead of 37 Jap planes were shot down
near Guadalcanal yesterday.

RAF in 'Heavy'
Attack on Ruhr
21 Planes Fail to Return,
Weather Described as
'Bad' by Crews
Heavy bombers of the RAF attacked Germany's industrial heart Thursday
night in the second blow against the Ruhr in less than a week. An Air Ministry
communique yesterday said 21 planes failed to return.
The weather over Germany was " bad." returning crews reported, and the effects
of the bombing were difficult to observe. Beyond describing the attack as " heavy "
the communique gave no indication of how many planes were involved or the
amount of explosives dropped on Hitler's arms-producing center.
In the earlier blow at the Ruhr on Saturday, a great fleet of four-engined
air freighters raided the Krupp works at Essen and unloaded a 900-ton cargo of
bombs. Essen was the target for two big raids last month.

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