AIR CONTROL OF ALLIES

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 307, 22 September 1943, Page 7

AIR CONTROL OF ALLIES

Complete Absence Of Opposition LUFTWAFFE POSITION (Received September 21, 8.15 p.m.) LONDON, September 21. Commenting on the feeble showing of the German Air Force in the Italian campaign, the “Daily Telegraph’s” air correspondent says: “In spite of the Luftwaffe’s strength in Italy of 500 bombers and 500 lighters, Kesselring is not seriously contesting our air operations, probably for the following rea-

sons :— First, he is conserving planes for the defensive battles which will soon. have to fight for the chain of air bases round Foggia and Koine; secondly, he is short of supplies because of the Allied bombings of the northern rail centres; thirdly, the Italians are sabotaging the German communications between northern ana southern Italy; and, fourthly, the Allied onslaughts have temporarily crippled the Luftwaffe. , . . . , “Kesselring’s difficulties certainly must be serious to have prevented his challenging in Strength our long-range fighter and bomber support during the battle tor Salerno.” , , •Reuter’s Algiers correspondent says that complete control of the sky in southern Italy and air supremacy over the Rome region have left the Allies unchal•Jenged in the last 36 hours. Save for a few lone fighters during the day and fewer still at night, the sky over Salerno has now been swept, at least temporarily, as clean as was the Sicilian sky after 48 hours of combat. , The “Daily Telegraph” correspondent at Allied headquarters says Kesselrings forces are completely at the mercy of the Allied force, which has swept the Luftwaffe from the sky. The. enemy is withdrawing along roads which are bombed day and night, and his transport columns are being, terribly mauled. Our pilots are tearing up and down, the lines of vehicles, bombing and gunning them. American fighter-bombers yesterday heavily strafed long lines of enemy motorconvoy travelling north from the Salerno bridgehead battle area. . They located about 800 vehicles, of which they wrecked 109 and badly damaged 137 Smoking wreckage cluttered the inountam-sidcs.