FOGGIA BOMBED AGAIN

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23963, 2 June 1943, Page 3

FOGGIA BOMBED AGAIN

Raid By Flying Fortresses OTHER TARGETS ON ISLANDS (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 11 p.m.) LONDON, June 1. The Italian mainland and Italian Islands were again attacked yesterday by Allied aircraft from North Africa. The main attack was on Foggia, which was bombed for the second day‘running, this time by Flying Fortresses. They bombed the airfield and administrative buildings, and caused fires in the railway yards. Lightnings were over Sardinia, and medium bombers found targets in Pantelleria. Long-range fighters carried out offensive sweeps off the coast of Greece. Four enemy aircraft were destroyed. Two Allied aircraft are missing. Reuter’s Algiers correspondent says that the Axis air chief, Marshal Kesselring, is now able to inflict such small losses on the big Allied raiding forces that some observers believe Germany and Italy have no longer the air

strength with which to cope with the British and American offensive. More cautious quarters suggest that he is conserving his strength in the event of an emergency of the first magnitude. The Allied air forces, which have been smashing targets in Italy and her islands for nearly three weeks, returned in force to Naples and Foggia on Sunday. The objectives of the Flying Fortresses raiding Naples were the aircraft factory and airfield in the suburb of Pomigliano, and the aerodrome at Capocichino, eight miles north-cast of Naples. A bomber pilot, referring to the Pomigliano attack, said: “That factory is going to be out of business for a long time. We started fires in the assembly plant, the engine machine shop, the general machine shop, and hangars. Besides hitting the factory we knocked out dispersed aeroplanes on the airfield.” The raid on Capocichino was also very successful. A large number of aeroplanes were destroyed, and at least 80 fires were started. Enemy fighters over both targets .tried to bomb the Flying Fortresses in the air. but this proved a failure. While the Fortresses weue attacking Naples more than 50 Liberators plastered Foggia, near Italy’s Adriatic coast. Targets in northern Sardinia included the railway station at Chilivani, a factory at Alghero, and the port and railway yards at Aranci, where Six ships were damaged. Italian Communique An Italian communique says that enemy aeroplanes on Sunday dropped many bombs on Naples., which was raided for the seventieth lime. Public service buildings suffered considerably. Thirty-eight persons were killed and 351 injured. Bombs dropped in Sardinia killed three persons and injured 10. Attacks were also made in the provinces of Foggia, Bari, and Potenza. The civilian death-roll at Civilaveccia, north-west of Rome, has now risen to 295. In Sunday’s attacks 14 Axis aeroplanes were shot down. One Allied fighter is missing, but the pilot is safe. The Berne correspondent of the "Evening Standard” says that a report from Rome describes Leghorn as a smoking heap of ruins after the American air attack on Friday. Telegraph, telephone, and rail connexions with the town are still cut. Engineers had to concentrate on repairing at least part of the water distribution system, which was severely damaged. Independent witnesses say that fires are still burning fiercely in many parts of the town which have been evacuated by the defence services. The port district, which is the concentration point for the supply service to Sardinia and Corsica, has been razed. Many ships in the harbour have either been sunk or seriously damaged. An unconfirmed report states that an ammunition ship blew up. adding greatly to the destruction of the town, which has a normal population of 130,000. The town is being evacuated since the food and water supply is insufficient for more than a few days. PRIEST AND SURGEON PADRE IN DARWIN AREA (Special Australian Corresp., N.Z.P.A.) SYDNEY, June 1. The dual functions of a military chaplain and an eye surgeon are carried out by a Roman Catholic padre in the Darwin area. He is Father Frank Flynn, a brilliant Sydney ophthalmic surgeon, \Vho irt 1936 gaVe up his Macquarie street practice to join the Sacred Heart Missionaries. He was ordained a priest last year. Father Flynn is one of (he Australian Army’s three ophthalmologists who have largely defeated an endemic eye disease, which formerly cost the Commonwealth forces thousands of man hours on tire vital supply route linking southern Australia with the Northern Territory. The Army authorities early became concerned at the number of truck drivers who reported siqk with eye troubles on the long desert road link. Preventive treatments designed by specialists, however. have reduced the incidence of the disease by 50 per cent. Father Flynn is one of six brothers, all of whom are doctors. Five of the brothers are serving with the armed forces. An Australian war correspondent remarks that “when Father Flynn retired from medicine, a joking colleague said that ho was doing so ‘because he could preach better than he could practise.’ To-day, however, he is giving medical as well as spiritual assistance to hundreds of servicemen in the Darwin area.” 5000 MACHINE-GUN CARRIERS AUSTRALIAN OUTPUT MELBOURNE, June 1. The five thousandth Australian-de-signed machine-gun carrier has been handed over to the Minister of Munitions (Mr N. J. O. Makin). The carrier lias been described as the “handymaid of all work” of the armoured divisions. The malleable bul-let-proof plate of which the carrier is built is the invention of Australian metallurgists. It is cheaper and easier to manufacture than any other armoured plate in the world and it is now being used in both Britain and America. The new plate requires none of the alloys previously stipulated for carriers, and it is so malleable that it can be welded instead of riveted. Revolutionary processes in production have alone made possible the Australian production of 5000 carriers. Numbers have been exported.