OUT OF ACTION

Timaru Herald, Volume CLIV, Issue 22671, 26 August 1943, Page 5

OUT OF ACTION

Defences Of Rome Notification To Allies By Telegraph—N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright LONDON. August 24. The Italian Government has requested the Swiss Government, also the Holy See, to notify the British and American Governments that Italy has placed out of action the Rome defences, says the Rome.radio. The anti-aircraft batteries have been ordered not to fire and Italian fighter planes may not fly over the city. The transfer from Rome of the Italian and German commands as well as of troops, is going on. A garrison, to ensure public order only, will remain in the city. The railway centre of Rome will no longer be used for military transport. Preparations are going on for the transfer of the military installations, arms and munitions factories from Rome. After putting up masses of fighters for four days against Allied raiders in Italv and getting over 100 knocked down the Axis yesterday failed to send up a single fighter tor the defence of Battipaglia or Bagnoli, but sent up a swarm for the defence of Bari, which besides being a big port and air-base is also a centre for oil refineries. Liberators dropped nearly 60 tons of bombs on Bari. Reuter’s correspondent at Allied Headquarters says they had to fight their way through hordes of enemy fighters. One American plane is credited with having shot down three of 30 attacking fighters. Junction .Attacked Wellington bombers attacked the junction at Bagnoli. close to Naples, in order to hinder the cross-country diversion of traffic from the east coast to the west coast main line. Fighter-bombers also carried out a sweep over southern Sardinia. Reconnaissance photographs show' that the Italian railways have been heavily damaged in the last few days. Many trains were left burning and entire yards are blocked with burnedout masses of rolling stock. Liberators were forced to fight their way through a horde of enemy fighters in a raid on Bari <ltaly) yesterday, says a correspondent in the Middle East. They dropped nearly 125.0001 b of high explosive on their objectives. Anti-aircraft fire was light and inaccurate, but fighters swarmed round the Liberators. Without loss to themselves, the Liberators shot down 14 of the attackers, and probably destroyed more and damaged others.

Cruiser Left Sinking Medium Invaders caught an Italian cruiser off the south coast and scored direct hits on the stern with two oOOlb bombs. They left the cruiser in a sinking condition. Bombers also carried out a heavy attack on steel works near Naples. The United Nations radio at Algiers called on the Italian people to do everything possible to prevent the Italian Fleet from falling into German hands. “The Germans already are taking Italian produce and using Italian manpower, but you still hold a great national asset in the Italian fleet If the Italian fleet were to fall into German hands the war would be prolonged for you. Your duty is clear. Hinder the Germans in anv wav passible"