NAPLES HIT AGAIN

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24555, 10 April 1943, Page 7

NAPLES HIT AGAIN

TABGETS IN SICILY CEASELESS AIR OPERATIONS (Reed. 5.35 p.m.) LONDON, April 8 The Middle East air communique says that during Tuesday night heavy bombers attacked Naples, starting fires. Messina was raided on the same night, bomb bursts, being seen north of the harbour. All our aircraft returned. A Malta message states that our fighter-bombers yesterday attacked industrial targets in Sicily with bombs and machine-gun fire. A North African headquarters communique says that strong forces gf light bombers and fighter-bombers carried out heavy continuous attacks on enemy troops, tanks and motor transport in Southern Tunisia yesterday. Considerable damage was done and many vehicles were set on fire. -Spitfires maintained patrols over the battle area, destroying five enemy aircraft. Fighters and fighter-bombers made attacks on enemy transport in the northern sector, starting fires among vehicles, and also destroyed nine Junkers 87's. Through last night light bombers attacked enemy vehicles and transports on the Sfax-Susa road, and Wellingtons successfully attacked railway yards at Tunis. From all these operations one of our aircraft is missing. It is now known that five additional enemy aircraft were destroyed on Tuesday. The Allied air forces are maintaining a non-stop offensive from dawn until dusk, says Renter's correspondent at Allied headquarters in North Africa. Much damage was done to the enemy's traffic in Southern Tunisia yesterday by a series of attacks on the road between La Skirra and Sfax. American light bombers and fighters struck against convoys retreating east of El Guettar and set fire to 6.5 vehicles. Fighter-bombers attacked between 20 and 25 tanks in the La Skirra area, setting fire to several. It is now learned that the long-range arm of the strategical air forces in Tunisia in the last week hit 62 Axis ships, nine of which were seen to sink immediately. Others were left ablaze or sinking. ALLIES' STRONG POSITION LONDON, April 8 The Allied Commander-in-Chief in I North Africa, General Eisenhower, in a message of congratulation to his deputy, General Sir Harold Alexander, on the successful operations which joined the victorious Eighth Army with the British, French and American forces, said that while great difficulties and bitter lighting still lay ahead, the 18th Battle Group and air forces were in a position to exact the full price from the enemy. "If Rommel tries to leave Africa," the message concluded, "he will have a stormy passage across the Sicilian Straits." TRANSPORT SYSTEM LONDON, April u The success of the Eighth Army in maintaining regular supplies during the advance across the desert was explained in Cairo by Lieutenant-General Sir Wilfred Lindsell, who is in charge of administration in the Middle East. He said it was due to the application of railway methods to road transport. What ho called central goods yards had been established all along the road. He thought the application of such a system would probably become necessary in other areas in the Middle East to handle in an economic way the transport of civil needs.

GIRAUD AND DE GAULLE NEW YORK, April 8 Discussing the conflict between Generals Giraud and de Gaulle, Joseph Harsch, in the Christian Science Monitor, says: "Official Washington decided long ago that General de Gaulle was an unsatisfactory person to work with." Mr. Harsch explains that Washington grew restless at the prospect of the Fighting French coming under complete British influence, and finally the American policy crystallised to a point where Americans refused to consider any arrangement which would make General de Gaulle top figure. This position was communicated to Mr. Eden. It was not known, however, whether Mr Ivlen agreed. Mr Harsch concludes: "There is more than meets the eye about, the tancrled skein of the British. American and French policy. It seems that the Giraud-de Gaulle mystery will not be clarified before the ©nd of the war."