Mediterranean Algiers Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 30, 1943, Algiers, Algiers                                The stars and stripes sunday May 30, 1043the Story of a Campaign a War correspondent goes to War with a typewriter not a machine gun. His Job is to Tell the folks Hack Home what the War is about through the american newspapers magazines and radio. A lot of american soldiers have seen the correspondents but few of them have been Able to read their work As a valedictory to the North african Campaign the stars and stripes asked a group of representative correspondents to write on selected subjects. This collection is not intended to be a Complete account of the tunisian campaigns it is instead a group of stories on certain key events written by some of americans Best journalists. Donavi the beginning by Phil Ault United press correspondent judged by tunisian standards the american fight against the French during the Landing operations at Oran Way Back on november 8 Wasny to much of a scrap a just a sort of season opener against a soft touch. It was the first time anybody in this part of the world had fired live bullets at americans and meant it and it was the first time these doughboy of ours got their taste of the business of War. At the time it was very exciting. Everything about it was strange and new and everybody was a Little Uncertain. The doughboy were still a lot of Man Euver soldiers putting Book learning into practice for the first time. They were mighty eager just As they Are today but not one Quarter As Crafty fighters As they have become in six months of slugging the Jerries. B the Oran scrap lasted about three Days from before Dawn on that famous sunday november 8, until noon on tuesday november to when the French packed up and came Over to our Side. A lot of the French a maybe most of them had been willing to pack up the moment we landed but they had orders to fight. Some of them fought very Well but others just went through the motions. One French outfit we met during those three Days was sent into the fight with just three bullets each. One artillery company had its trucks sabotaged by another the Day before we landed a and they never did get their guns into position. But this was certainly not the Story for the men who tried to storm Oran Harbor on sunday morning and for those who fought at the Village of St. Cloud Between Arrew and Oran on monday. They will Tell you that the frenchmen could fight and fight Well arrival by Convoy that a the Way it was a screwy Little private fight Between men who were fighting on the same Side just a few Days later. Coming Down from Britain in the big Convoy was rather exciting even if nothing happened there were a lot of seasick dough boys and some of the top kicks did no to look so Tough leaning Over the rail. Rumours were thick about where we were going but the Fellows did no to know until they had been at sea for Days. Then they got those Little Blue books telling All about North Africa in one easy lesson. Probably More men were scared by the health talks about All the bugs in Africa than they were about making an assault Landing. One Man died on our ship the Day before the Landing after having an infected tooth pulled. That s about All the real excitement except for hours of calisthenic. The main Oran Force landed in a dead Calm sea at Arrew 25 Miles East of Oran before Dawn on sunday. This consisted of two thirds of the first division and part of the first armoured division. The rest of the first division landed at a Beach about the same distance West of Oran. A third Force of about 600 men tried to dash right into Oran Harbor in two coast guard cutters but they ran into the French Navy and had themselves very thoroughly blasted. That part of the show was a Flop and Cost a lot of lives. I waded ashore at Arrew after jumping out of a Landing Craft lugging my typewriter in my anus like a baby. There the French Navy had some machine gun nests but the rangers took care of them with a few grenades. Stars and stripes map by Cpl Gilbert Sioe Eney the season opener Clark general Eisenhower s Dep i i time morning of november 8 a photo by signal corps French were Tough everybody landed Well enough but As the infantry moved Inland sunday toward Oran they met determined artillery and Small arms fire near St. Cloud Halfway to Oran and were held up overnight. All Day monday they fought around St. Cloud and the French remained Tough. Monday night the infantry did a forced March by passed St. Cloud and went right on into Oran tuesday morning. Meanwhile an armoured column had swung Down South cleaned off Tafraoui and la Senia airfields and swung into Oran from the South tuesday about the same time the infantry reached it from the East. A Short time later the infantry column from the West also reached the City. After that the natives wrent slightly crazy cheering the americans. It took the Arab kids about two hours to Start asking for chewing gum and about half that time for the gigs to discover that the local Vino had some kick. Uty and then in direct command of Allied forces in North Africa. A a How Are things going a he asked. Quot Fine a i said a a but two of us would like to get to the front. Could you arrange a plane ride for us a a a yes a he replied and was As Good As his word. So we spent another night on the floor of number i hangar behind which bombs were dropped that night a couple of British paratroops in the next hangar being killed and a couple More wounded. We spent most of the next morning waiting for a Bisley to show up. Finally it came in from a nearby Field. I went in with the Pilot while he was briefed. A a the Jerries Are bombing Bone Airfield about once an hour a the Pilot was told. A a they Are All Over the sky up there. So watch out and identify yourself before you land. The boys on the Field Are shooting at two engined  we started out with a Lone Hurricane fighter As escort. I was jammed behind the rear gunner with glucose cans All around me Cut off from All conversation unable to see anything. Dont bother to put on a Parachute. You can to get out a said the Lone gunner. Tenseness n one first push eastward by Frank l. Kluckhohn n. Y. Times correspondent november 15. Lowell Bennett of International news service and i turned to Maison Blanche after watching the paratroopers jump on yours Les Bain Airport. We wanted to get up to the first army and a a March into Tunis with them. But we found the other correspondents sitting disconsolately around Algiers there was no motor transportation. I went up to the Headquarters and ran into it. General Mark it was cold the glucose cans kept pushing Over on me. The Tail gunner kept going round and round his apparatus screaming dismally. I could see him from just above the Waist Down. Every time he thought he saw an enemy plane he raised six inches off his seat and Tensed. Not pleasant. We landed at Bone and found lads with rifles and machine guns lying in trenches and Bren guns sticking out. We were dumped As rapidly As possible in the Center of the Field which had been hit five minutes before. By Luck we found the British Field commando s car at the Field and were driven to Headquarters. I remember that the Headquarters w Here a Etc silent the night and ate with the general and his staff was Between a Railroad and a Bridge. As we drove up. German bombers were pounding the port. That Day the British had had their first engagement with German tanks on the coast Road and destroyed a number of them a a where should we go a Bennett asked the general. He named a place nobody had heard of before. It is Well known now Medley Al Bab. Bennett a wizard at such things arranged a car for us a and off we went. We drove up through be Kef and to Bounsouk. We found the 175th Field artillery shelling med Jez with Only French infantry in support. The Stukas dive bombed about once an hours but the boys took it and shelled the germans out of town knocking out several of their guns. Those boys from Minnesota were the first Allied unit in action in Eastern Tunisia. They had Only French infantry in support. By night the French had Only two to three rounds left so the artillery in danger of being Cut off at night withdrew to another new town Beja and the French to test our. A few Days later the British and our tanks had to fight a Twenty four hour Battle to get the key town we could have taken at tile time with 200 infantrymen. Bennett and i drove alone All Over territory where a few Days later one had to get away from strafing planes. At one time we found ourselves fifteen Miles ahead of the advanced reconnaissance. We we Ere in souk Elarba when it received its first and perhaps hardest pasting. We watched wounded carried from the Airfield while ammunition hit by a bomb exploded aimlessly. We watched the pilots go out against tremendous Odds a some Days they could not even get up to the front then spend the night being bombed and Start off next morning again. Our respect for the Raf knew no Bounds. All for the present we with a handful of other correspondents watched a Small handful of Grant tanks Lead the Way to a Edeida. Artillery threw up debris and pyres of smoke near them As they went on. From a Hill you could see what we took to be the outskirts of Tunis. We were almost at our goal. Then the German infantry moved in behind our advancing tanks and hit the slim line of Hampshire with Superior Force. Fighting and dying Tho British lads reeled Back. The artillery behind us prepared to withdraw. Planes strafed the roads behind us. Its All up for the present a i said. Quot yes a commented Bennett a a it s going to be a Long  the correspondents who went up again next Day were Cut off on a farm. We started to fight to hold until heavier forces could be brought up. Tile initial part of the Carn a Ian  avar