HEAVY RAIDS

Grey River Argus, 7 June 1943, Page 5

HEAVY RAIDS

ON ITALIAN ISLES LONDON, June 5. Rome radio quoted a report published in the “Tribuna” that no building remains undamaged after tne recent Allied raids on Messina. Thousands of persons are homeless and hundreds have been killed. Reuter says that Pantellana . bas become “a permanent clay pigeon against which our naval and air forces are testing their skill with devastating results.” It is gradually being reduced to a waste land oi ruins under the consistent hammering. The Navy has shelled the island four times and since Sunday it has undergone ' a round-the-clock bombing. “Pantellaria. as an invasion stepping stone, is being battered into surrender and its occupation is imminent,”'- says Morley Richards in the “Daily Express.” .“The Royal Navy has gained superiority in the waters from Tunisia north to Sardinia and the path is open for the next phase—invasion.” Italian newspapers and radio continued all day and all night on Thursday to pour out invasion warnings and exhortations to the bewildered population. To the battered front line island of Pantellaria, Rome radio to-night sent warning of a coming Allied attack and a call to.stand fast. “Expect renewed blows against the three Pantellaria Islands. Garrisons must await them with their feet firmly planted on the ground.” The announcer went on with an assurance that the islands would fight to the last. “The “Daily Mail” says: The battle of the Italian islands appears to be about to begin. The Navy s and the strategic air forces’ work in disorganising the defence of the islands would seem almost complete and it remains for the Allied armies to sweep in to the attack. The close attention which the Allied warships and aircraft have paid to Pantellaria s coastal guns in the past few days suggests that this fortress might be the first objective, but it would not be surprising if landings were made on all three islands simultaneously. Reports have been coming for days from Axis and neutral sources of the massing of Allied shipping, including barges and landing craft, along the North Africa coast. Italy makes no secret of her belief that invasion is imminent and the country has been warned to expect a full-scale attack. Some . observers believe that Italy has been keeping aeroplanes in reserve for this contingency, and the Italian fleet may yet come into the picture, concludes the “Daily Mail.” (Rec. 7 p.m.) LONDON, June 5. A News Agency correspondent stated: Shore defences on the island of Pantellaria, off Tunisia, were bombarded for a second time in three days by a British cruiser at dawn on Saturday. There was some reply from coastal defence guns, but no air attack. The cruiser had a destroyer escort.

(Rec. 10.40) LONDON, June G. An Allied North Africa communique stated: On Thursday night bombers attacked targets in Italy, Sicily and Pantellaria, .and the last-named island was again attacked on Friday by bombers and fighter-bombers. Two of our aircraft are missing. An Allied. Middle East air com-

munique stated: Our light bombers attacked a small vessel in the Aegean Sea off Scarpanto Island on Friday. The crew abandoned the ship. All our aircraft returned safely.

A German spy has been executed in Rome by the Italians. He was one of three charged with supplying information to the enemy. The second spy was sentenced to life imprisonment and the third to thirty years’ goal. NEW TARGETS. (Rec. 9.0.) , LONDON, June 6. A correspondent at Allied Headquarters in North Africa stated: Two new targets, Syracuse in Sicily, and Catanzaro in Italy, have been .visited bv bombers of the North-west African Air Forces. Catanzaro is the most easterly point yet attacked from North-west Africa. Wellington bombers dropped incendiaries at both places' on Thursday night. Lightnings set fire to three hangars, and damaged a runway at Milo aerodrome yesterday. They also attacked and machine-gunned positions on Favignana Island, off the western tip of Sicily. The Exchange Telegraph Agency s Algiers correspondent says: Catanzaro which was bombed last Thursday night is on the instep of the Italian boot, and is the most easterly point yet attacked from North-west Africa. Wellingtons dropped incendiaries there and a't Syracuse. Lightnings on Friday, set fire to three hangars and damaged a runway at Kilo airfield, and aiso gunned positions on Favigan Island, where there was no opposition. Photographs reveal that seventeen out of nineteen oiltanks were burned out, and three gasholders badly damaged in the Fortress raid on Leghorn on May 28.

MALTA'S ALERTS. (Rec. 6.30) RUGBY, June b. At Malta there were on Friday; four alerts. They were caused by enemy activity on at least three occasions. The first was due to a number of enemv lighters which approached, but did not come within range of the guns. Fighters shot one Messerschmitt down probably destroyed one more and damaged several others. The second flight was at a great height. The third fell short of the range of the guns and the fourth did not materialise. One of our fighters is missing. GERMANY AND TURKEY ANKARA, June 4. Commercial quarters in Ankara have revealed that German war merchandise shipments to Turkey have suddenly ceased as a result of the Allied air offensive in the Mediterranean.

The Germans are reported to have asked Turkey for the indefinite postponement; of the delivery schedules.