WAR OF NERVES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25239, 31 May 1943, Page 3

WAR OF NERVES

ALLIED BOMBING POLICY AXIS MORALE STRAINED (Rec. 7 p.m.) LONDON, May 28. Tens of thousands of Sicilians and Sardinians have taken to the hills, where they are living in small villages to escape the Allied bombings, says the Rome correspondent of the Stockholm' newspaper Dagens Nyheter. Eye-witnesses from the south of Italy said that mass migration was increasing every day, and had become the authorities’ greatest problem. According to an Istanbul report, the Italian Education Department has ordered the closing of all universities and some high schools in the south of Italy, and the evacuation of students to North Italy. The Berlin correspondent of the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet says that German official circles have warned the Axis authorities that they will have to be careful and strong to withstand the war of nerves the Allies are waging, particularly against Italy and the Balkans. German sources acknowledge that the Allies during the past 24 hours have supplemented the bombing raids against Italy with a heavy propaganda leaflet offensive. The Morocco radio reports that the Fascist leaders attended a meeting with Mussolini, at which a decision was taken to resist to the last and defend Sardinia and Sicily. Allied Invasion Feared Official commentators warned the Italian people that an Allied invasion attempt against the mainland or the islands might be a matter of days, says the Berne correspondent of the New York Times. Axis reconnaissance, the commentators added, had revealed the presence at Bizerta, Tunis, Susa, Sfax, and Cap Bon of a large concentra l tion of tugs and small naval vessels, which might soon be employed for invasion. The tone and content of official comments indicate that the mili-