ENEMY SURPRISED BY SPEED AND FORCE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 166, 15 July 1943, Page 5

ENEMY SURPRISED BY SPEED AND FORCE

SICILIAN OFFENSIVE

British Capture Priolo North Of Syracuse N.Z. Press Association—Copyright Rec. 1.30 p.m. LONDON, July 14. The Allied offensive in Sicily apparently continues to surprise the enemy by its speed, force and perfect execution, states the correspondent of the British United Press at Allied Headquarters. The fall of Augusta and Ragusa keeps the Allies well ahead of their time plan. Allied i penetration at some points extends i to 30 miles and is nowhere less than : six miles. The British have captured Priolo, north-west of Syracuse. The Allies are using their triple ' superiority of land, sea and air to keep their forces rolling forward on all fronts. Supply ships are shuttling backwards and forwards, bringing in more and more men and supplies. Most important of all, the ships are also bringing tanks, which are the prime factor in the advance against the enemy's armoured strength, which lies somewhere on the Allied line of advance across the island. "We are now sufficiently well established in Sicily to deal with any large counter-attacks the enemy may launch," declares the military writer of the Press Association. Allied troops were less than six miles from Catania, according to reports from Berlin, stated the Stockholm correspondent of the British United Press. Advanced Allied storm troops, moving up the east coast, are reported to be even closer to Catania, from where the civil population has been largely evacuated. Algiers radio said that although no major enemy forces had yet been encountered, enemy columns had been observed moving south in the direction of Catania and Gerbini. Allied tanks were in action, but had not yet engaged Axis tanks on a large scale. Another Berlin report claimed that the battle for Catania had already started and that heavy fighting was going on. AIRBORNE TROOPS HARRYING REAR OF ENEMY Rec. 2 p.m. LONDON, July 14. Airborne troops are incessantly harrying the enemy's rear, in Sicily, destroying his lines of communication, spreading confusion everywhere and seizing military installations. "NEW LANDING SOON" TROOPS FROM PANTELLARIA Rec. 2 p.m. LONDON, July 14. Rome radio says the Italian High Command anticipates that Allied troops from Pantellaria will soon attempt a landing on the west coast of Sicily. The command states that an attempted landing on Tuesday west of Licata was repulsed. AT BOTTOM OF SEA AXIS TROOPS AND EQUIPMENT Rec. 1.30 p.m. LONDON, July 14. Great numbers of Axis troops and fantastic quantities of equipment are being sent to the bottom of Messina Straits, Algiers radio stated.

NAZIS DENY REPORT

RUMOUR OP ROMMEL'S DSATH Rec. 11.30 p.m. LONDON, July 14. Authoritative circles in Berlin deny the truth of a report that Rommel has been killed. The German underground radio station stated that Rommel was shot down by Allied fighters yesterday while he was flying to Sicily to assume command there. Reuters correspondent in Stockholm said that the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet, which gave this information, said that Rommel was travelling in a transport plane under a strong fighter escort, accompanied by German and Italian staff officers. A Malta dispatch yesterday reported that Spitfires shot down a Junkers 52 transport plane, which was escorted by more than 30 German and Italian fighters, over the Sicilian coast. Six of the fighter escort were also shot down in flames.