THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY APRIL 7, 1943:
American forces smashed into the outskirts of Bizerte and
the British first army captured the suburbs of Tunis today
in lightning thrusts that pinned the axis back against the
beaches of Tunisia.
Despite fierce German resistance, the end of big scale fighting
in North Africa appeared imminent.
The navy today announced occupation of
Amchitka island in t h e Aleutians, providing our airmen with a base
only 63 miles from Japanese-held Kiska and within 1700 miles of
Tokyo.
Amchitka is n ow t h e nearest U. S. base to Tokyo and places our
long range bombers within theoretical range of the J a p a n e s e capital.
THE RACINE JOURNAL-TIMES
RACINE, WIS., FRIDAY AFTERNOON, MAY 7, 1943.
ALLIES ENTER TUNIS, BIZERTE
Axis Forces Pushed
Onto Tunisia Beaches
( B y The United Press)
American forces smashed into the outskirts of Bizerte and
the British first army captured the suburbs of Tunis today
in lightning thrusts that pinned the axis back against the
beaches of Tunisia.
Despite fierce German resistance, the end of big scale fighting
in North Africa appeared imminent. A tremendous
weight of Allied air and land power converged on the beaten
enemy who was being driven back toward a "Dunkirk" on
the beaches.
A London broadcast quoted a German radio commentator
as admitting that Allied troops had penetrated the inner fortifications
of Bizerte and saying that "the battle of Tunisia
has entered its last stage."
The 2nd U. S. corps in the north seized Ferryville, an important
part of the Bizerte naval base installations and
battled forward nine miles to the suburbs of the city of
Bizerte itself.
British Tanks Move Swiftly.
British first army tanks crashed a dozen miles across the
rolling plains to seize the town of Le Bardo, site of the palace
of the bey of Tunis only a mile and a half from the capital,
and the race track, only four miles from the heart of the city.
Heavy lighting raged in the outskirts of Tunis early this
afternoon.
Overhead, a mighty Allied air armada again gave the
ground offensive powerful support, blasting a path through
the remnants of axis armored units and spreading death and
destruction among clogged enemy transport columns which j
apparently were trying to fall back for a last stand on the
hills of Cap Bon, east of Tunis.
The town of Ferryville, on the southwest corner of Lake
Bizerte, fell to an American armored reconnaissance unit at
12:55 p. m. today.
The Americans immediately swung on to Bizerte, which
was also under attack by Americans and French from the
coastal sector north of Lake AchkeL The outskirts of the
town were penetrated and captured a short time later.
The axis front in Tunisia was cut in two, with Bizerte isolated
from Tunis. Enemy transport columns were falling back
before Allied infantry and were being pounded furiously
from the air.
Planes Sink 25 Axis Ships.
The victory came just one day less than six months after
the Americans and British invaded-North Africa.
Delayed reports revealed today that Allied planes dropped
1,250,000 pounds of bombs on axis targets yesterday, sank 25
ships and destroyed 25 planes in the biggest day of aerial
activity during the North African campaign.
U.S. Sets Up
Base 63 Miles
From Kiska
WASHINGTON—(UP)—The navy today announced occupation of
Amchitka island in t h e Aleutians, providing our airmen with a base
only 63 miles from Japanese-held Kiska and within 1700 miles of
Tokyo.
Amchitka is n ow t h e nearest U. S. base to Tokyo and places our
long range bombers within theoretical range of the J a p a n e s e capital.
The island was occupied by our forces in the l a t t e r p a r t of J a n u a r y .
There was no opposition. Since t h e initial landing, the Japanese
h a v e c a r r i e d out light bombing r a i d s and made reconnaissance
flights over t h e area.
Disclosure of the new base so close to Kiska served to explain
how and why U. S. fliers have been able to hit Kiska more than
200 times in a little over two months despite the usually dirty
Aleutian weather.
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