Pacific News-Review
Notes And Comment On
The Progress Of The War
From April 15 To May 13
Apl. 15: German and Italian armies, estimated at nearly 200,000, are now in position on a wide arc in Northern Tunisia, covering the city of Tunis and the great French naval base of Bizerta.
The British First and Eighth Armies, the American Second Corps and a Fighting French Army Corps are pressing in relentlessly, while overwhelming Allied air forces are keeping up a terrific blitz on the enemy.
All commentators agree that, while the doom of those Axis armies is certain, they will put up a long, stubborn defence, calculated to delay our attack upon the Axis in Europe.
Apl. 16: Once more Australia is warned of a threatened “danger from the North” by Mr. Curtin, General Mac- Arthur and General Sir Thomas Blarney.
The Japs are said to have concentrated formidable forces on their line of East Indies-North Coast of New Guinea-New Britain-Bougainville-Solomons.
Apl. 16: Japanese made a large-scale raid on Milne Bay with 46 bombers and from 25-50 fighters. Thirty enemy air craft were shot down.
Apl. 17: Desperate fighting developed in Northern Tunisia at the week-end, when German troops counter-attacked on a height captured by the British First Army.
Apl. 18; The RAF delivered heavy blows on Skoda and other armament works in Czecho-Slovakia on Friday night. Fifty-five RAF bombers are miss ing.
Apl. 19: The Allies are maintaining their air-battering of towns in Germany —the RAF and Americans in the west and centre, and the Russians in the east.
Apl. 20: US Warhawks and RAF Spit fires yesterday destroyed 74 planes of a large German air-convoy off the north west tip of Tunisia—obviously an attempt by the enemy to give air-borne relief to his armies in Tunisia.
Apl. 20: Nazi counter-attacks in the Kuban (Caucasus) have failed. The Red Army is still pressing the Germans and Rumanians hard, in an attempt to recap ture the Black Sea port of Novarassisk— the Germans’ last foothold in the Cau casus. The remainder of the Russian front, affected by the general thaw, is quiet.
Apl. 22: The British Eighth Army, attacking in Tunisia, occupied Enfida ville.
Apl. 23: A wave of fury swept the United States when it was revealed by the International Red Cross that the Japanese executed American airmen who fell into their hands after the US air raid on Japan on April 18, 1942.
Apl. 23: Heavy enemy counter-attacks in Tunisia were repulsed by the British First Army and the British Eighth Army.
Apl. 25; British, American and French forces are slowly advancing through the ring of Tunisian mountains protecting Tunis and Bizerta.
Apl. 26: Washington announces that American forces occupied Funafuti, largest of the Ellice Islands, some time ago. The occupation was carried out without opposition.
Apl. 27: In Tunisia Allied progress continues. Severe tank casualties have been inflicted on the enemy. Marshal Rommel departed from Tunisia some time ago, to receive medical attention, and was succeeded by General von Arnim.
Apl. 28; Russia has broken off diplo matic relations with Poland, charging Poland with association with the slan
derous campaign relating to the murder of Polish officers in the Smolensk region.
Some thousands of Poles were murdered and buried; the Nazis, in a great propa ganda effort, said they were murdered by the Russians, and requested the Inter national Red Cross to investigate, and the Poles supported that request. Russia insists that this is a great Nazi plot and “frame-up”: and that the Poles were murdered by the Nazis.
May 1: Violent fighting is now proceed ing in the three sectors in Tunisia —Medjerda Valley, Pont du Fahs and the east coast.
May 1: The large-scale raids on Ger many by RAF and Americans continue almost day and night. They are described as “more than softening-up” raids.
May 1: General MacArthur’s head quarters issued a warning that Japanese have started a submarine campaign in the waters east of Australia.
May 1; US bombers, twice within 36 hours, raided Japanese bases on Nauru and at Tarawa (in the Gilberts).
May 3: The Americans have captured three points in bitter Tunisian fighting, and the US Second Corps is now 12 miles from Mateur. General Giraud “sees vic tory in May.”
May 4: Officially announced that our Spitfire fighters suffered “heavy losses” when 21 Japanese bombers and 30 fight ers raided Darwin on Sunday morning.
May 5: American advanced units in Tunisia have pushed up along the roads to Bizerta and Ferryville from Mateur.
The fight for the mountain perimeter, guarding Tunis and Bizerta, is now near its end May 6: Tunisian events are moving towards a climax. The British First Army, assisted by some units from the Eighth Army, launched a terrific ground attack, perfectly co-ordinated with the American and French attacks, and with overwhelming air activity, and smashed through the Medjerda Valley front, into the plains before Tunis. The Americans are within nine miles of Bizerta, and the British 10 or 12 miles from Tunis.
May 6: Announced that American forces in February occupied the Russell Islands —a small group about 30 miles NW of Guadalcanal.
May 7: The Axis defences in Tunisia are crumbling, A large-scale withdrawal is expected by Axis armies into the Cape Bon Peninsula, where they can organise a powerful defence.
May 8: Five Allied ships have been sunk off eastern Australia by Japanese submarines in recent weeks.
May 8: Last evening, when the Axis defence suddenly collapsed and the Ger mans became disorganised, the Allies advanced swiftly. Within a few minutes of each other, the British entered Tunis and the Americans and French occupied Bizerta. The Axis armies, thus split into three sections, are in complete disorder, and tens of thousands of prisoners are coming in.
May 10: Yesterday and to-day, the Allies have advanced swiftly along the Tunisian coast, and have gathered in over 50,000 prisoners.
May 11: The remaining Axis forces are now bottled up on Cane Bon Peninsula, and an Allied naval blockade bars their escape by sea. Sixty-four thousand Axis prisoners are now in Allied hands— including six generals—but over 100,000 have still to be accounted for.
May 12: The British Prime Minister, Mr. Churchill, is in Washington, with a large number of British Service chiefs.
Conferences with President Roosevelt and American chiefs are proceeding.
May 12: Enemy positions on Cape Bon Peninsula are crumbling as the British First Army makes a tank-drive and smashes the Axis defences at the neck of the peninsula.
May 13: The British have occupied all Cape Bon Peninsula. The German Com mander, General von Arnim, and about 20 Axis Generals, have surrendered. The Allies have taken about 160,000 prisoners, and enormous quantities of war material and equipment. The war in North Africa is concluded.
It is calculated that, in North Africa, the Axis has lost 600,000 troops, as well as the Italian Empire (Abyssinia, Eritrea, Somaliland and Libya), May 14: Without a pause, the Allies have launched a terrific air blitz upon Italian ports in Sicily, Sardinia and Italy.
An attack upon the Italian island fort ress of Pantellaria is expected. Some people expect the early collapse of Italy.
May 14: The British have suffered a serious reverse in south-western Burma.
They launched a campaign against the Japanese in December, made some pro gress in the next three months, but are now retiring before superior Japanese forces; and part of the British force is in danger of encirclement.
May 14: Continuing their round-the clock bombing of Germany, the RAF made the war’s record heavy raid upon the German industrial centre of Duis berg, which has been practically wiped out. We lost 34 bombers.
May 13: Little of moment is happen ing on the Russian front. The Germans, despite Russian attacks, hold Novores sesk. Both sides are preparing for a resumption of large-scale operations.