General Alexander ordered the Americans under Patton to liberate the town of Gafsa, again. He wanted Patton to push Axis forces back to allow Montgomery to make the killing blow. Not pleased to play second, Patton was nevertheless happy just to be in the fight at last. As it turned out though, there was no fighting. The Axis forces pulled out in the night and the Allies marched untouched into Gafsa on March 17. Patton made the best of the moment, hosting press dinners and garnering publicity. Following all this, one radio broadcast stated: "Apparently the Nazis saw him coming and ran." Two days later, Patton was given orders to move east, take Sened Station (again) and then move on to Maknassy.
Allen's Big Red One was to move on the area.....
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