The First Troops in Tunisia
The history of the Tunisian campaign cannot be fully written till the war is over, but some illuminating facts were published by The Times' special correspondent in Tunisia last Saturday. The public in this country, which had heard of powerful forces landed in North Africa, had no idea, last November and in early December, how small was the original British force which bore the brunt of the fighting against far superior numbers of Germans. The advanced troops which were flung into Tunisia made a gallant bid to capture the port of Tunis, and would probably have suc- ceeded if the French Resident-General had resisted the German demands to be allowed to land men and materials. Jebel Abiod had been seized by no more than three companies of the Royal West Kents and a regiment of field artillery when German tanks and infantry attacked them. For some weeks the whole burden of the fighting against an enemy constantly reinforced fell on two brigades of the 78th Division, with small additional units of commandos, parachute troops, tanks and artillery. Just why in November and December it was impossible to get larger forces to the fighting front is another story, not told by The Times corre- spondent, concerning communications by sea to Bone and by road overland, and much that even now cannot be fully divulged. But anyone who supposed that the failure to capture Tunis and Bizerte was due to the " freshness " or any other shortcomings of the troops was completely mistaken. On the contrary, these units which were grandiosely described as the First Army fought as brilliantly and as successfully as any veterans.
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