THE STARS AND STRIPES
Daily Newspaper of U.S. Armed Forces in the European Theater of Operations
New York, N.Y.—London, England Friday, April 9, 1943
Yanks, British Join in Pursuit Axis
Foe in Full Retreat,
Loses Much Material
And Many Prisoners
U.S. Offensive Kept Much Rommel Armor
Busy as Montgomery's Army Smashed
Through Wadi Akarit Defenses
American and British troops, who joined forces halfway down the road
between Gafsa and Gabes Wednesday with an informal " Hello there,
Limey" and "Glad to see you, Yank," were hot on the heels of Rommel's
retreating Afrika Korps along the coastal reaches of southern Tunisia last
night.
In the Maknassy area, where the Americans have been advancing slowly
but steadily for days, the enemy was still fighting a rearguard action, and
in Maknassy Pass 'itself artillery duels were reported to be in progress.
Many prisoners were reported to have been taken in the American advance
east of El Guettar, though no official count has been announced.
The junction of the American and British forces was made by small patrols
n armored scout cars. There was no enemy opposition, and the two patrols
just advanced along the road until they met. The men climbed out, shook hands
and took pictures.
Rommel, it appeared last night, was in full flight. Abandoning much material,
the enemy was retreating northwards along the Tunisian coast towards La
Skirra—and along the road from ElGuettar toward the coast.
Hard on his heels, mobile forces of the Eighth Army were repeating the processes
that carried them right along the coast of Libya from Eg\pt into Tripoli, while
American forces from El Guettar area were pushing forward in his wake,
supported by the French.
Yanks Drew Off Armor
Jap Air Fleet
Smashed off
Guadalcanal
Yanks Get 37 of 98 Planes
On First Anniversary Of Bataan
A Japanese air armada of 98 planes attempting to bomb U.S. shipping off
Guadalcanal yesterday—the first anniversary of the fall of Bataan—was
crushed by U.S. fighters in one of the greatest air combats in the
Solomons area.
Thirty-seven aircraft were officially reported destroyed in the battle, the
Navy Department announced.
At the same time, Flying Fortresses struck for the fourth time in seven days
at Jap shipping off Kavieng, New Ireland, heavily bombing an enemy convoy carry-
ing supplies and troops for the hard-pressed defenders of New Guinea.
The U.S. fighters from Guadalcanal blasted 21 Zeros, five dive-bombers and
11 other enemy planes out of the sky for a loss of one Airacobra and six Wildcat
fighters. One U.S. pilot was saved. Including yesterday's toll, the number
of Jap planes shot down over the Solomons is now at 943, the Navy Department
added.
No details of this latest blow to this Jap convoy off Kavieng are y»t available,
jacept that the attack, which the comnuniaque describes as heavy, was directed
against a small convoy.
Seven Warships Sunk
Reds Encircle I
Nazi Garrisons
Around Kuban
Isolate German Posts
In Forward Moves,
Take Prisoners
MOSCOW, Apr. 8 (UP)—Soviet tactics
of encirclement threatened today to isolate German garrisons holding oiu in
strong defensive positions on the Kuban front.
The strength of the German positions is largely oft set by their precarious communications in the water-logged Kuban Delta and the Nazis are lighting strenuously
to defend the narrow strips of ground and roads which emerge above the
water.
Several of the isolated villages in the Delta, which are connected by the strips
of land, have been taken by the Russians in the last few days and Soviet forces are
slowly, but surely, pushing the Germans back towards the sea.
170 'Chutist Alarms, '
All False, in States
WASHINGTON, Apr. 8 (UP)— '
Jittery Americans have reported more than 170 " landings by enemy paratroops
—every one of them false— ; since July, 1942, the FBI reported.
G-men who ran down the reports said they had originated with such
innocent sights as flocks of birds, a boy flying a kite and a man carrying :
a sack of flour on his shoulder.
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