TWO BRIDGEHEADS

Evening Star, Issue 24915, 13 July 1943, Page 3

TWO BRIDGEHEADS

THIRTY-MILE FRONT ESTABLISHED HOSPITAL SHIP SUNK BY AXIS PLANES; (Rec. 10.45 aim.)' RUGBY, July 12. To-day's despatches from headquarters indicate that the Allies are firmly established on two bridgeheads in Sicily. The British forces, under General Montgomery, hold Syracuse and all the towns on the road running. south-west from Syracuse to Pozzallo on the south coast. The total line probably exceeds 30 miles, and the triangle of the captured territory stretches back at least 15 miles to Cape Passero. The American bridgehead begins 20 miles further west, at Scoglitti, and also extends along a front of about 35 miles to beyond Licata, over which the American flag flies. The heaviest of seven counter-attacks reported by headquarters was at Gela, about the middle of the United States bridgehead, where the enemy used! at least 45 tanks.' The enemy is reported to be moving reinforcements, from the western side of the island. There has been.no serious naval interference with the Allied fleets and transports, but at night a hospital ship carrying 400 casualties, fully lighted according to the rules, was sunk by air attack three miles off the coast. All the wounded were safely taken off. ENEitfV CAVALRY CHARGE. Some of the toughest fighting has been done by parachutists of a famous English unit, who landed late on Friday night. A high wind made the drop difficult, and tended to disperse them. They reached their objective, but were not in enough strength to hold it, and were driven off. However, they managed to join the sea-borne forces, with whom they returned and stormed their objective. During this fighting the enemy actually made a cavalry charge. This is probably the first time in history that a battle has been fought between parachutists and mounted cavalry. According to delayed despatches from advanced British headquarters, iby 10 a.m, yesterday our invasion troops had already driven 10 miles inland. One British force alone is reported to have captured 1,000 .of the enemy in the first few hours of the invasion. Seven of the tanks knocked) out on Saturday were French, manned bv Italians. The most substantial opposition met in the first 30 hours was in the hills west of Noto.

One despatch emphasises that the most remarkable feature of the whole operation was the fact that no attempt whatever was made by the enemy planes' to attack the large and tempting target offered by assault craft as they made their way to the shore through heavy seas. Enemy bombers did attack shipping later in the day, but there was no aerial opposition whatever to the original landings. Admiral Bertram Ramsay is mentioned by General Eisenhower as one of those responsible under Admiral Cunningham for the precise timing and perfect technique displayed on the' beaches of Sicily. He was the officer who as Vice-Admiral planned the Dunkirk evacuations, and last year arraiiged the North African landings.