PANTELLERIA BOMBED

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23969, 9 June 1943, Page 3

PANTELLERIA BOMBED

MANY ATTACKS BY ALLIED AIRCRAFT ENEMY LOSES ELEVEN PLANES (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) tßec. 11 p.m.) LONDON, June 8. The battering of Pantelleria was continued yesterday by. Allied aircraft. To-day’s communique from Allied Headquarters in North Africa says: “Aircraft of the North-west African Air Force yesterday continued to attack Pantelleria. Many missions were carried out by heavy, medium, and fighter-bombers during the day. Eleven enemy aeroplanes were destroyed during the operations, from which two of our aircraft are missing.” The Italian battleship Roma is reported to be down by the bows and the Littoria to be damaged amidships as a result of Saturday’s raid on Spezia, according to a usually wellinformed source quoted by the Berne correspondent of the “Evening Standdard.” An Algiers report says that photographs taken during the raid show that no direct hits were scored on the battleships. The reports reaching Switzerland state that four big Italian warships arrived at Spezia less than an hour before the Fortresses raided the port. “READY FOR ANY JOB” ALLIED FORCES IN NORTH AFRICA (Rec. 7 p.m.) LONDON, June 7. “The Allies’ armed strength along the whole North African coast-line, from the Atlantic to the Turkish border, is greater than it has ever been,” says the British United Press correspondent in Cairo. “It includes Britons. Americans. New Zealanders, South Africans. Indians, Poles; Fighting French, Belgians, and Greeks. This immense concentration means that the Allies are able to hit out at any of a dozen places. “The British forces include Britain’s ‘forgotten men,’ the nickname applied to the 9th and 10th Armies because they were unable to share the glory of the invincible Bth Army. They have received the most rigorous training, mostly based on lessons learned in North Africa. They are ready for any job, but it is useless to speculate what the job will be. “It is known that the Bth Army has undergone certain modifications in both formation and training, but the Army’s whereabouts is unknown.” The correspondent adds that in spile of the tremendous Allied air strength at present pounding Italy and her islands. major air forces are still held in reserve. WAR CABINET FORMED FRENCH COMMITTEE IN ALGIERS ORDINANCE BY GIRAUD AND DE GAULLE (R?c. 10.30 p.m.) LONDON. June 8. The French Committee of National Liberation has issued a statement in Algiers saying that the committee has decided to establish a war committee which will supervise the general conduct of the war and take all decisions connected with it. The Exchange Telegraph Agency’s correspondent in Algiers says that General Giraud, General dc Gaulle, General Calroux, General Georges. M. Massigli, M. Philip, and M. Monnot are likely to form the War Cabinet, The statement jncludcs an ordinance signed by General Giraud and General de Gaulle, stating that the committee shall;direct the French forces in the war under all forms and in all places. The committee exercises French sovereignty over all French territories out of reach of the enemy, and also assumes the administration and defence of nil French interests throughout the world. The committee takes authority over all French ground, naval, and air forces hitherto under the direction either of the French National Committee or the French Commander-in-Chief.

The committee will conclude pacts and agreements with foreign Powers. The two presidents will accredit representatives with foreign Powers, and foreign diplomatic representatives will be accredited with them. The committee will perform its function until the day when full liberation will permit the formation of a provisional government in accordance with the laws of the Republic. The ordinance will be regarded as law. The Algiers radio announced that the French Committee of National Liberation had appointed 11 commissioners in charge of departments. They are: M. Massigli (Foreign Affairs), General Catroux (Moslem Affairs), M. Jean Monnet (Armaments, Supply, and Reconstruction), M. Rene Pleven (Colonies), M. Rene Mayer (Communications and Merchant Navy). M. Henri Bonnet (Information), M. Philip (Interior), Dr. Jules Abadi (Justice, Education, and Health), M. Maurice Couve Demurville (Finance), M. Andre Diethelm (Production and Trade), M. Adrian Tixier (Labour and Social Welfare).

These, with General de Gaulle, General Giraud, and General Georges constitute the committee which therefore, now numbers 14 instead of 11.

M. Bonnet, formerly a League of Nations official, is at present in Washington, M. Tixier was formerly Undersecretary at the International Labour Bureau, M. Pleven was General de Gaulle’s Minister of Colonies, M. Mayer was General Giraud’s Secretary of Communications, Dr. Abadi was General Giraud’s Secretary of the Interior, M. Couve Demurville was General Giraud’s personal principal secretary, and M. Diethelm was General de Gaulle’s Minister of Finance, Economy, and the Merchant Navy.

A “New York Times” correspondent, commenting on the formation of the French Committee of National Liberation, says: “General de Gaulle has won a thumping political victory. General de Gaulle and his appointees are easily powerful enough to block and outvote General Giraud and his followers. However, there has been a slackening of General de Gaulle’s political activities in the last five days. General de Gaulle, having merged his personality into the committee, is content to let the committee implement his plan, rather than continue to stir up popular feeling.” General Catroux, speaking for the first time as Governor-General of Algeria on the Algiers radio last night, said that the unity achieved at Algiers was a victory of the spirit, won by Frenchmen who put aside all differences. “We have established unity; the horizon is cleared, and France has regained her confidence in her destiny,” he said.

Lisbon Air Service Resumed.—A report from Lisbon states that air traffic between Britain and Portugal, which slopped when the Germans shot down the Douglas air liner over the Bay of Biscay, resumed yesterday, when 11 land aeroplanes arrived from Britain. —London. June 7.