The Portsmouth Herald
PORTSMOUTH, N. H., TUESDAY EVENING, MARCH 23,1943
YANKS GRAB MAKNASSY
HEAD FOR AXIS DEFENSES
British 8th Sweeps
Many Miles Inside
Vital Mareth Line
Prisoner Toll Mounts
As Allies Repulse Foe
Allied Headquarters in North Africa, March 23 (AP)
American armored forces have captured Maknassy in a
slash toward the sea to cut Axis communications, an Allied
Headquarters communique announced today, and field reports
said parts of the British Eighth army had swept in a
wide arc around the Mareth line and were now many miles
inside it.
While the Americans, under Lt. Gen. George S. Patton,
Jr., stabbed to within less than 34 miles of the Gulf of
Gabes, continuing east past Maknassy, other forces of
Gen. Sir Bernard L Montgomery's Eighth army swung a
mighty frontal blow at Marshal Erwin Rommeh's Mareth
line.
The communique said the operations there were going
ahead on schedule despite a bitter contest being put
up by Axis forces which yesterday attempted a powerful
counterattack. This was repulsed. The announcement said
1,700 Axis prisoners were captured in this operation by
midday yesterday.
The force which swung in a sweeping movement around the southwestern
flank of the-Mareth line now faced a' strong' German, .cancentra-'
tioin.of "tanks "and" artillery at El Hamma, "20 miles directly west of Gabes.
Surging Russian Army
Smashes Nearer Smolensk
Moscow, March 23 (AP)— Battling
numerically superior forces of Germans who continue to
pour up to the front in long columns, the Red army of the
Northern Donets pushed back every German effort to cross the
waterway in force, while on the central front the Russians continued
to drive toward Smolensk, it was announced today.
The Chuguev and Belgorod sectors still were the centers of the most
violent fighting In the Donets area, the Germans employing Increasing
numbers of infantry behind their mass tank and plane attacks, but
there was no serious, denting of the Soviet line. Along the long river
front the Soviets continued to hold several positions on the western
bank.
Nazis Hurled Back
Berlin, Tokyo Spout
News Of Axis Parley On
Justice, Eternal Peace'
(By the Associated Press)
The Berlin and Tokyo radios announced with enthusiasm last night
completion of conferences in Tokyo by representatives of Germany,
Japan and Italy, at which, it was said, complete agreement had been
reached on "creation of a new world' order based on justice and
guaranteeing eternal world peace."
The broadcasts were recorded by the Associated Press.
While Premier Hideki Tojo was reported to have participated
in the talks, the absence of any special envoys from the
European Axis powers made It appear that little more than
routine diplomatic exchange actually had taken place.
At the same time Axis and neutral sources indicated the diplomatic-
pot was boiling in Europe, where German and Italian committees
were working out details of a German draft on Italy's manpower
and Premier Mussolini was reported to have summoned Vichy
Chief-of-Government Pierre Laval to a conference on strained relations
between their two countries.
RAF Airmen Batter St. Nazaire
In Wake Of Wilhelmshaven Blast
London, March 23 (AP)—Squadrons of the RAF's big
bombers smashed at the German submarine base at St.
Nazaire .last night in the wake of a heavy assault on Wilhelmshaven
by American Flying Fortresses and Liberators
yesterday afternoon.
British Whirlwind fighter bombers also blasted railway
targets in Brittany during the night's operations, which cost
the loss of one plane, an air ministry communique said.
The assaults on St. Nazaire and Wilhelmshaven represented a resumption
of the Allied air offensive against the nests from which Nazi
under-water-raiders have, been striking at vital:United Nations supply
lines.
Repeated Target of Attacks
No comments:
Post a Comment