DAY AND NIGHT

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21149, 17 July 1943, Page 3

DAY AND NIGHT

NAPLES BOMBED SHAMBLES AT FOGGIA

ALLIED AIR ATTACKS (By Telegraph—Pres& Assn.—Copyright.) (British Official Wireless.) (11 a.m.) RUGBY, July 16. A press message from Middle East Headquarters says that about 70 United States Liberators, striking in three waves at Foggia aerodrome in daylight, left a flaming shambles oL' the two main satellite fields. Large numbers of aircraft were left burning on the ground. Four largo oil fires were started and incendiary bombs started large fires in the fields and woods. Again no enemy fighter opposition was encountered and all the raiders returned safely. The bombardment of Naples, begun by Wellingtons at night, was continued by four waves of Fortresses in daylight, says a North African correspondent. The aerodromes of Ponigliano and the Capo di China railway yards, docks, and industrial areas were blasted. Hits were scored on the Royal Arsenal, the stadium, roundhouses, railway works and a torpedo factory. The damage to the arsenal was severe. The whole of the Naples area suffered heavy damage. Of 23 enemy aircraft which attacked the bombers, four were destroyed. Allied aircraft met very few enemy aircraft over Sicily yesterday and most of those encountered evaded combat, although the Allied planes flew back and forth all day long attacking communications. Photographs of Messina show that the 200bomber raid left the whole of the dock railway sidings a smouldering mass. In this inferno there were three very large fires, an ammunition train received a direct hit, and docks and warehouses were burning so furiously that the fire would certainly spread to a nearby locomotive shed. Malta-based Beauiighters and Mosquitoes destroyed at least 12 enemy aircraft on Wednesday night, says a message from the island. This was the ciimax of five most successful nights for intruder work, a total of 35 German and Italian bombers being destroyed. This was in addition to the 106 enemy planes shot down by Spitfires since the beginning of the Sicilian invasion. One of the most successful Beauiighter pilots, WingCommander Green, got four Junkers 88’s and damaged a fifth in one sortie on Wednesday. Another pilot destroyed three Junkers the same night.