LAUAN RAILWAY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 204, 30 August 1943, Page 5

LAUAN RAILWAY

BATTERED BY ALLIED BOMBERS Rccd. 7.30 p.m Rugby, Aug. 28. f ierce air battles took place and no fewer than 20 en my lighters were shot down when heavy and medium bombers of the North-west African Air Forces attacked railway targets east of Rome and around Naples yesterday, writes a correspondent in North Africa. Despite opposition the bombers went on to place their bombs well on their targets. The three main railway centres chosen for the attacks were Benvento and Casorto, near Naples, and Sulmona, nearly 10(X- miles east of Rome. Sulmona was a new target for our bombers, and Flying Forti esses, acompanied by Ligntnings, gave this centre—an important link between northern and southern Italy—some baptism. Railway yards were blasted, and fires and large explosions were observed in the locomotive repair shops and explosive stores. Some two dozen fighters attacked the Fortresses. Four fighters were sh*u down by one of the Fortresses and three by escorting Lightnings. It was the United States Mitchells that really had a field day. Escorted by Lightnings they raided the railway centre of Benvento, and between Hrm shot down 16 of the enemy fighters that came up to meet them. Bombs were seen to straddle the whole length of the marshalling yards at Benvento from east to west and land on the railway tracks and along the locomotive workshops. The chief enemy opposition was by Me.lo9’s, the pilots of which were unusually aggressive. Marauders in the raid on Caserto added to the general confusion of Italy’s railw’ay communications by unloading bombs on rail-cars, on freight yards and buildings in the repair shop area. Although some enemy fighters attacked the formation, escorttig Lightnings drove them off.—B.O.W.