FEARFUL ORDEAL OF ALLIED PRISONERS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 109, 10 May 1943, Page 3

FEARFUL ORDEAL OF ALLIED PRISONERS

BOMBED OIUXIS SHIP Great Devastation In Raids On Axis Bases British Official Wireless Rec. 1 p.m. RUGBY, May 9. It is now possible to give a picture of the devastation caused by the Allied air forces at points such as El Aouina airfield, the port of Tunis, and La Goulette and also of the terrible experience of hundreds of British and American prisoners aboard an Italian ship subjected to Allied bombing. El Aouina is a remarkable tribute to Allied bombing and strafing. There are'the wrecks of at least 100 ' German aircraft and a few Italian littered round the edges of the airfield. Many are large transport aircraft. Hangars and buildings are in ruins, and the paths are strewn with great piles of broken masonry and metal work. Some of the German pilots had flung down their parachutes as they fled, and in one corner there were some German Folswagen cars with petrol already in the tanks ready to be driven away and lacking only ignition keys. The city of Tunis itself was practically undamaged, but the docks there and at La Goulette are shambles. All the warehouses by the dockside are gutted and broken to bits. The jetties and quays stick out brokenly from the water. Bomb-laden Ship Hit Moored alongside are numerous ships all beached, or sunk by bombing, var3 r ing in size from barges to 6000-tqnners. In the port of Tunis the biggest wreck is that of an Italian ship which local inhabitants report was hit during an air raid when carrying bombs into Tunisia. There are many wrecks at La Goulette. Several ships were still burning yesterday, and a cloud of smoke was rising over La Goulette. Out on the other side of the water, states the Air Ministry news service, was another cloud of smoke where a German ship had been sunk. Near the shore a Jarge Italian ship is aground. Small boats were bringing to the beach load after load of British and American prisoners of war from this ship. They told a terrible story of the bombing of the vessel, which was loaded three days ago with nearly 700 prisoners.

The ship steamed out of Tunis Harbour intending to make for Italy with a destroyer escort. The prisoners saw the destroyer sunk by Kittyhawks off Cape Bon. Without an escort they said the Germans and Italians on board refused to make the run to Sicily and put Dack to La Goulette. Captain's Graphic Story "Then we went through three days and nights of hell," said one British officer. "We were bombed and strafed repeatedly by our own aircraft. The pilots had no way of knowing that there were British and American prisoners aboard, although later we did try to put identification signs on the deck. "Bombs fell all around and damaged the ship's plates. One hit the side and left us with a list. There was another direct hit, but fortunately by only a small bomb and only superficial damage was done. It was a miracle the ship" was not sunk. She had to be run aground. The Italians left after the first bombing attack, but the Germans stuck it out at their guns almost to the end. Then they went ashore.

'•An Italian sergeant came over last evening and took a party of our sick and wounded ashore. The rest had to endure another night of bombing and more to-day. The air attack was terrible. We were crammed into two holds with scarcely sufficient air to breathe and for the last two days there was no water. There were no sanitary arrangements and we had little food. It was a nightmare. Fortunately only one British prisoner was killed by air attack and one was wounded."