AIR-BORNE TROOPS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25276, 13 July 1943, Page 5

AIR-BORNE TROOPS

SPEARHEAD OF INVASION ENEMY TAKEN BY SURPRISE LONDON, July 12. Surprise played an important part in the landings by air-borne troops. Glider troops landed first. Then an hour later parachutists were dropped at prearranged points. The first men on the ground went to work immediately, attacking key points, communications, and carefully-selected ground targets. The Daily Telegraph's correspondent tells how British and American parachute troops and air-borne commando units were dropped behind the enemy lines. Troop-filled gliders descended on the Sicilian mainland five houis before the assault.forces disembarked on the beaches. Seventy minutes after the gliders reached their objectives parachute troops were dropped under cover of darkness. Both forces seem to have sui prised the enemy. The air-borne troops were over the targets before they encountered flak. The Allied plane losses in this manoeuvre are officially described as negligible. No enemyfighters attempted to interfere and the anti-aircraft batteries were not very active. Searchlights picked up the huge transport machines, but the pilots, flying very low, manoeuvred sufficiently to put thje enemy batteries off their aim. Loomed Out of the Mist Planes bearing parachute troops loomed suddenly over the targets out of the heavy mist. They dropped their heavily-armed cargo from a low altitude, in spite of anti-aircraft fire and barrages from pillboxes concealed near the shore. The men went into action, and saw large fires burning north-west of their objective—evidence of the Americans’ heavy bombing during the week. The British air-borne troops were assigned to the eastern half and the Americans to the western half of the main objective. Lieutenant-colonel John Cerny, who rose from the ranks to command the most experienced troop-carrying unit in North Africa, said later: “The combat teams displayed air discipline beyond my expectations. The transports kept a tight formation all the way. The fact that airships went directly ahead in the face of fire and searchlights demonstrates the skill of the pilots. They kept on and dropped an entire battalion in one area.” The Associated Press says that fleets of big American transports appeared over Sicily between 10.10 p.m. and 11.20 p.m. on the. night of July 9, towing gliders filled with British and American troops. The gliders cut loose from the tow planes and floated on to Sicilian soil exactly at the scheduled time. Parachute troops dropped further west 70 minutes later moved swiftly to consolidate their positions behind the enemy’s beach defences. Heavy Allied Bombing Reuter’s Algiers correspondent says big formations of all types of aircraft from the North-west African Air Force roared over South-east Sicily all day yesterday, and delivered knock-out blows against airfields and bombed and strafed railroads and troop transports. The _ newest deadly A 36 fighterbombers carried out over 100 -sorties and bombed and machine-gunned behind the enemy lines. They also operated directly in front of the Allied front lines. The anti-aircraft fire- was mostly negligible, but during the afternoon it became more intense and more accurate. Bombers without opposition ranged over Central and South Sicily every hour from 5 a.m. Lightnings sweeping over South-east Sicily caught a column of 99 trucks on the road, a number of which were destroyed. The crews were attacked as they leaped from the trucks. Impressive Sight “ It was impressive to see this large collection of aircraft forming up into a long column and then go streaming off across the sea,” said a bomber officer who saw the airborne troops go into action in Sicily after taking off from North Africa. “The journey,” he added. “ was over 200 miles, and darkness fell after a third of the journey had been completed. The air was comparatively still over the water and there was no really rough weather to make things unpleasant for the gliders, During this time there was a regular exchange on the telephone betwen the glider pilot and the captain of the aircraft. In the half-moon the coast of Sicily shows up at the right place and time. The point of release is further on and height is gradually gained so that the glider can make the required distance after release. The first aircraft took the enemy, unawares and its release was made without attracting the attention of the defences. Later, they had anti-aircraft defences to contend with, but most of the gliders released themselves' in a position from which they could land on a prearranged, spot.” Without exception the crews towing the craft reported the feeblest opposition. The searchlights could be counted on the fingers of one hand, and flak was never a menace. Several of the “tugs” after dropping their gliders spent a little time circling and “ looking for trouble,” as one pilot said. They found none and all returned safely to their base. On their way out the air armada passed over their naval counterpart near Malta. The pilots reported that their gliders were released at .the right points, with plenty of height to reach their destinations. One was seen caught in a searchlight, but appeared to get through the machine-gun fire unharmed. A towing bomber had a fire in the starboard outer engine on the way out, but the pilot went on and delivered the glider on the right spot.