NEWS OF THE WEEK
HE victory of the Eighth Army at the Wadi Akarit and its
junction with the American force driving westward from El uettar means a substantial step forward towards the desired goal. eneral Montgomery, moreover, is now advancing through open ountry, and it is doubtful whether Rommel can make any effective tand south of Sousse, which is considerably more than half-way to unis. The Allied forces now form a solid front, or, as one Comentator has put it, a net which is steadily contracting, with the Axis rmy inside. The Americans at Maknassy may still get to the coast n time to cut off part of the Italian rearguard. Rommel or von Arnim, whichever is in command, will no doubt endeavour to proact resistance in an arc covering Bizerta and Tunis, and on the ace of it the position will be strong. In his article in last week's pectator Admiral Muselier showed how powerfully equipped for efence the entrenched camp of Bizerta is, but it might be conended that he made too little allowance for the possibilities of airttack. The smaller the area the Axis troops hold the greater the oncentration of air-attack on them. The Americans are building p a most formidable air-force in North Africa, and all the xperienced and victorious squadrons hitherto working with the ighth Army will be available for the final assault on the Tuniszerta sector. That, it seems inevitable, will be the deciding factor, hough no doubt much hard ground-fighting is in store yet. Meanhile General Giraud is conducting a war of nerves against Italy on is own account, and his repeated warnings of what is in store may yell undermine morale in the peninsula still further.
