Current Events May 9, 1943:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY MAY 9, 1943:

American armor slashed deeply into isolated Axis mountain strongholds

in north Tunisia Saturday night while a British spearhead

raced 14 miles southward from captured Tunis to lock the remnants

of the Nazi African army in a death trap on Cape Bon

peninsula and pave the way for invasion of Europe.

Russia announced "new and powerful" aerial

blows against the Germans all along the extended Eastern front

while ground troops battled to wipe out the Axis Caucasus

bridgehead on the Kuban, and authoritative Moscow sources reported

mapor operations imminent.

Allied airmen, continuing an air offensives so

devastating that it's full results are still to be tabulated, hammered

at retreating Axis forces on the Cape Bon peninsula and between

Tunis and Bizerte Saturday

          The Wisconsin State Journal

                                        MADISON, SUNDAY, MAY 9, 1943

Death Trap Sprung,

Allies Hack at Foe

British Armies Race

to Cut off Cap Bon;

Americans Mop Up

By VIRGIL PEVKLEY

(United Press Staff Correspondent)

ALLIED HEADQUARTERS, North Africa—(U.P)—American

armor slashed deeply into isolated Axis mountain strongholds

in north Tunisia Saturday night while a British spearhead

raced 14 miles southward from captured Tunis to lock the remnants

of the Nazi African army in a death trap on Cape Bon

peninsula and pave the way for invasion of Europe.

Within 24 hours after the fall of Bizerte and Tunis tb«

once-powerful enemy had been cut into two huge sections, on»

in the north and the other in the south. Now the southern trap

is threatened with being split again before the Germans can

fall back on bleak Cap Bon for a last stand.

Many thousands of prisoners and huge amounts of

booty were taken by the Allied armies as they mopped

up on all fronts under orders from Gen. Dwight D.

Eisenhower to throw their full weight against the enemy

until every Axis soldier to captured or destroyed.

Russ Step Up

Air Attacks

on Germans

'Major Operations'

Will Start Soon,

Moscow Indicates

LONDON —(U.P.)— Russia announced "new and powerful" aerial

blows against the Germans all along the extended Eastern front

while ground troops battled to wipe out the Axis Caucasus

bridgehead on the Kuban, and authoritative Moscow sources reported

mapor operations imminent.

A special Radio Moscow announcement said the Russian air

force, reinforced by mounting numbers of American attack and

dive bombers from the. Central front to the Donets basin, "suc-

|cessfully fulfilled its task."

190 Nazi Planes Hit

Battering German airdromes, the Russian airmen destroyed and

damaged 190 enemy planes. They met heavy enemy opposition, and

lost 62 of their own planes.

Air Offensive

Hammers On

17 Enemy Ships

Sunk in Day

By PHIL, AULT

(United Press Staff Correspondentt)

ALLIED HEADQUARTERS;

North Africa —(U.P)— Allied airmen, continuing an air offensives so

devastating that it's full results are still to be tabulated, hammered

at retreating Axis forces on the Cape Bon peninsula and between

Tunis and Bizerte Saturday,

On Friday, Allied planes

sank 17 enemy ships and damaged

or left in a sinking condition

about 30 others, despite bad weather.

Fighters and bombers attacked highways- and also patrolled the

Gulf of Tunis to cut down any enemy ships trying to flee with

valuable enemy personnel.

U. S. medium marauder bombers hit a small ship 100 feet long.

5 miles southwest of Marettimo island while it was heading for

Sicily and escorting Lightning fighter plane pilots reported the

ship sank.