THE KING IN N. AFRICA

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 June 1943, Page 5

THE KING IN N. AFRICA

VISIT TO SERVICEMEN

APPRECIATION OF VICTORY LONDON, June 16. His Majesty the King is now m North Africa. This is made known sin an official announcement, from Buckingham Palace, which says:— “The King, who is accompanied by the Secretaries of State lor Mar ana Air, is visiting the .British Ist and Bth Armies, the Royal Navy, and the Royal Air Force in North Africa. His Majesty also welcomes the opportunity of seeing the United States Army and Air Forces and the French Army, with whom his own forces have been so closely associated in the recent memorable victory, and of investing General Eisenhower the Allied Commander-in-Chief m North Africa, with the insignia of a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the ~JD rj J- 1•’ ■* A correspondent says that His Majesty has visited the forces in the field and has already invested General Eisenhower. . The last overseas visit made by the King was in December, .1939. when he went to France to visit the British Expeditionary Force. His Majesty appointed live Counsellors of State to act for him during his absence from the Kingdom. They are the Queen, Duke of Gloucester, Princess Royal, Princess Arthur of Connaught and Lady Southesk. The Queen’s fellow counsellors are the four who are next in succession to the throne, excluding minors. JOURNEY IN BOMBER ' SURPRISE VISIT INCIDENTS (Recd. 1.35 p.m.) LONDON, June 16. His Majesty left for North Africa late on Friday night, in the big fourengind bomber Mr. Churchill used a fortnight ago. The pilot of the plane was Group Captain E. H. Fielden, Captain of the King’s Flight who has flown members of the Royal Family many thousands of miles. His Majesty made history in that he is the first British King to fly from Britain, and also the first British Monarch to fly to a battle front. So secret were the plans of the King’s visit that only .five men in North Africa knew about it in advance—Eisenhower, Alexander, Cunningham, Tedder and MacMillan. “The Times’s” Algiers correspondent reveals that His Majesty’s plane landed in Morocco for an hour or so, then flew direct to Algiers. Sir J. Grigg and Sir A. Sinclair travelled by separate plane. There were only a few mechanics on the field when the King landed in North Africa at eight a.m. on Saturday, says the Exchange Telegraph’s Algiers correspondent. Three of them walked out to signal the plane where it stopped, and got the shock of their lives, when His Majesty, wearing the uniform of a Field Marshal, stepped out of the bomber. The word soon went round the airfield, and a crowd of British and Amrican ground personnel gathered round the plane. In chatting with the men, His Majesty remarked he had a lovely flight. Lighting a cigarette, he then walked across the airfield with his private secretary, Sir Alexander Hardinge, and was greeted by General A. Alexander. His Majesty spent his first day in North Africa in consultation with service commanders. The next day he attended a church service and the Royal Naval Canteen, accompanied by Admiral Cunningham. There was an unforgettable moment when the King visited a stretch of the beach, where more than three thousand troops were enjoying a Sunday swim. The men caught sight of him standing on the verandah of a villa, and instantly came racing across the beach. In no time, a solid mass of tanned dripping men were standing before the verandah. Suddenly, the excited hum of conversation hushed, and the men began singing as though at a signal, “God Save the King.” The moment the anthem was ended, His Majesty walked into the centre, of the crowd and stood talking with the men nearest him. The men then struck up “For he’s a jolly good fellow.”

The public welcome to His Majesty is growing daily. An observer, who followed the Royal car to Algiers, says that French civilians shouted “Vive Le Roi.”

Reuter’s Algiers correspondent says that seven American Generals were with Lieut.-General Mark Clark when the King inspected the American Fifth Army. The security arrangements were carried out so perfectly that even high-ranking Generals were not aware who the guest would be until His Majesty stepped from the plane. The Americans on the previous day rehearsed every feature of the programme, even to driving a cavalcade round the selected route, and serving a midday meal, so the inspection tour moved like clockwork a"hd ended without a hitch. The King travelled over mile after mile of roads lined by American troops and equipment. A stop was made ar the American cemetery y/here the King paid homage to those who fell at Oran.

The day was brought to a climax by the visit to the Fifth Army training centre, where His Majesty saw commando tactics and street fighting. The Fifth Army put on an impressive show. The King paid high tributes to its commander, General Clark. His Majesty, the generals and Sir J. Grigg lunched at wooden tables in in a grove of pine trees. Grinning Negro cooks of the engineering kitchen unit served roast beef, gravy, creamed corn, peas, fruit, cocktail cake, lemonade or tea.

OFFENSIVE CONTINUED.

BOMBING SICILY

RUGBY, June 16

Allied aircraft yesterday renewed the assault on Sicily. A strong force of Fortresses, Marauders and Mitchels, throughout the day, pounded the big airfield, on top of the raid by Wellingtons the night before. There was fierce fighter opposition which, however, did not prevent our bombers getting through. Eleven enemy aircraft were destroyed in combats and five more enemy planes wore destroyed on Monday night, making a total of 1G enemy aircraft destroyed, for the loss of seven Allied planes.

PARKED PLANES DESTROYED.

(Rec. Noon). LONDON, June IG. An Allied air assault against Sicily was launched in full force yesterday. Throughout the daylight hours, large formations of bombers and fighterbombers pounded the island's aerodromes, destroying many aircraft on the ground, and causing widespread damage to airfields. The enemy sent up powerful forces of fighters, but they failed to prevent the bombers reaching the targets. Contain C. Griffin, a veteran navigator of the Tokio raid and many other operations, said it was tne best job of bombing he had ever seen. ’ All the day’s targets except Bonzzo had been subjected to softening-up raids by Wellingtons on the previous night Fortresses destroyed a number of dispersed aircraft at Castel Vetrano. Files on aerodromes were seen more than one hundred miles away. A fighter pilot, escorting the bombers said: “I saw about sixteen aircraft on the airfield, which had been hit before. Someone else knocked diem to hell this time.” At Borizzo, bombs fell square on the parked aircraft. Other objectives hit included three heavy anti-aircraft batteries and two military barracks.

Bombers shot down five enemy fighters, which attacked Marauders over the target. Two more were shot down by escorting Warhawks in a spectacular battle beginning oft the coast, and continuing until the target was reached. Aerodrome buildings and the landing ground were damaged in a raid on Boccadifalco. Lightning fighter-bombers strafed two radio stations near Marsala, blowing up one and setting fire to the other. Warhawks flew, many patrols over Pantelleria, and intercepted a force of German planes attempting to raid the harbour, forcing them to jettison the bombs.

NAPLES’ CASUALTIES

(Recd. 10.40 a.m.) LONDON, June 16. “Popolo di Roma” says: Twentythree hundred Italians were killed and 7700 wounded by Allied air raids on Naples, which had 183 alerts since the outbreak. Bombs were dropped on 71 occasions.

TURKEY’S POLICY

LONDON, June 16

“We look on the future with satisfaction,” said Turkey’s Prime Minister (Mr. Saracoglu), speaking over the Ankara radio at the conclusion of the People’s Party Congress. “Turkey in the last four years has several times been faced with the danger of war, but we have been saved from these dangers by Ataturk’s good policy, which we have followed. “The Russians stretched out their hands to us and we clasped them, consolidating our relations with the. Russians with cordial agreements. We also signed an alliance with Britain. Germany also descended on the Balkans and stretched but her hand to us. We signed an agreement of nonaggression and friendship with her which has since proved that it ensures the real needs of Germany and Turkey. This policy has saved us from the danger of war.” The Berljn radio referring to the closing of the Turkish-Syrian frontier, declared: “Britain is. massing troops in Syria. She is exerting pressure on Turkey. British naval and military leaders are at present visiting Turkey. They .went there at Britain’s request,”