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.