HEAVIEST YET

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21150, 19 July 1943, Page 3

HEAVIEST YET

NAPLES POUNDED

500-PLANE RAID

GREAT EXPLOSIONS MANY OTHER TARGETS (liy Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (.11.30 a.m.) LONDON, July ill. Naples, the focal point of shipping aud railway manufacture in southern Italy, was plastered yesterday by the greatest air assault ever launched upon the Axis from the African theatre. The attack was carried out by 500 aircraft. It started with Wellingtons in the early morning darkness when they dropped two-ton blockbusters and many 1000-pounders. Flying Fortresses-then made a daylight attack. Marauders and Mitchells followed ancl then Fortresses went back to finish off. A large force of Liberators from the Middle East were also in the attacking force. The attack was continued for more than an hour and 20 minutes in the course of which there were two tremendous explosions, one from the Royal Arsenal and the other from an ammunition train. When the attack was over the railway yards had been pulverised. It was said by the crews to be one of the most punishing attacks ever launched. Fierce anti-aircraft five met the first wave of attacking aircraft, but no fighters went up until several minutes after the first attack had begun. * Several enemy aircraft were shot down by the Lightning escort. Huge Sheet of Flame A terrific explosion from the arsenal observed during the Fortress raid sent a sheet ol' flame several hundred feet into the air. A tall column of smoke almost obscured the entire city. One gunner reported that he was attacked by seven fighters. He got one and returned unharmed. Another important attack was made by Mitchells on the Sicilian town of Paterno, on the railway inland from Catania, in front of advancing ground forces. An Italian communique admits that very serious damage was caused by the Allied air raids on Naples, Bari, Reggio di Calabria, and Messina. The casualties were 274 killed and 573 injured. On Friday night, Royal Air Force bombers attacked transformers and switching stations in northern Italy. Mosquitoes attacked targets in Munich. The attack on northern Italy was the second of its kind and was carried out by home-based Lancasters. Their objectives were switching stations near Milan, Brugherio and Cislage, but attacks were also made on targets near Bologna, which had been bombed the night before. Brugherio is one of the most important switching stations in Italy. 1.1: receives current from hydroelectric power stations in the alpine valleys and distributes it to the Milan district. Damage 'to these stations would dislocate military traffic from Germany through Switzerland. At Cislage, a grid and transformer station receives power direct from the largest Italian hydro-electric station at Cardane. Aerodromes Pounded A North African air communique slates: "Italian aerodromes at Vibo, Valencia and Reggio, in Italy, were attacked by our bombers on Thursday night. Strong formations ol medium bombers and fighters continued the attack against Vibo and Valencia during the day. Damage was caused and many fires started. Many bombs were seen to burst in the target area. The ferry terminus was attacked by light bombers during the night and in daylight by heavy bombers. Road and railway communications were attacked throughout Sicily. \ large number of motor transports were destroyed or damaged. The communications centre of Randazzo was bombed by medium bombers during the night. “Our lighter aircraft continued their sweeps and patrols over our land and sea forces. Night intruders operated over southern Italy. Thirteen enemy aircraft were destroyed during these operations, six being shot down by night fighters. Four of our planes failed to return.” Randazzo is a road and rail centre on the railway round Mount Elno, nearly 20 miles north-west of Catania and under 40 south-west of Messina. A Malta message says that by destroying 13 enemy aircraft on Friday night intruder aircraft based in. Malta achieved the highest week’s score. They were aided by a brilliant moon. Meanwhile, Mosquitoes were standing guard over southern Italy. Two of a patrol bound for Naples attacked railway trucks, buildings, and motor transport, while others shot up schooners off the coast. In the seven days and nights since •he invasion of Sicily, Spitfires, Beaulighters and Mosquitoes based on Malta have destroyed 151 enemy aircraft for the loss of 35 fighters, the pilots of five of which were saved. One hundred and two of the enemy wer r destroyed over Sicily, where Spitfires maintained a watch over the iieaches and inland battlefields. Devastation Described Vivid descriptions of the devastation the Allied air forces are causing in Sicily ancl Italy are given t, T’Htish press correspondents.

The Exchange and Telegn*pL correspondent in Algiers says that photographs of Messina show that the docks and railway sidings arc a smouldering mass. Two thousand bomb-loads have been dropped on the Messina ferry, when many two-ton block-busters were dropped, says the British United Press correspondent. Flying Fortresses followed and dumped hundreds of tons of high-explosive and fragmentation bombs, increased old lires, and started new ones. Smoke rose to 21,000 ft. Two large formations of Mitchells on Thursday dropped about 100 tons of high explosives on Hie city dock areas at Palermo, causing a large number of lires.

One system since the fall of the Tunis termini in the port area was officially described as an inferno, says (’outer’s correspondent in Algiers, Great fires are burning, with trains •uid warehouses ablaze. More than 100 tons of bombs were dropped in this area in the last seven days.

The Associated Press correspondent in Algiers reports that an area in Messina two miles by one mile is in (lames. Wellington bombers opened a smashing attack against Naples on Wednesday night. An artificial screen was laid over the harbour in the later stages of the attack in an effort to protect shipping arid port installations. This made observation difficult. Thus our air forces moved in behind the Axis troops in Sicily. Naples is the chief rail and shipping centre supplying them. Palermo serves northern and western Sicily. These air blows cut off from use all essential supplies before they reached the besieged island.