OPENED ON ITALY AND ISLAND OUTPOSTS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 May 1943, Page 3

OPENED ON ITALY AND ISLAND OUTPOSTS

Following on Tunisian Victory DAY AND NIGHT AIR ONSLAUGHT PANTELLERIA SHELLED BY BRITISH NAVY LONDON, May 14. Allied aircraft in the Mediterranean have flown across the Mediterranean, making day and night attacks on targets in Sardinia, Sicily and Southern Italy, while British warships have shelled Pantelleria, Italy’s island base between Tunisia and Sicily. Now that the last Axis soldier in Tunisia has surrendered (he was taken at 11.45 o’clock yesterday morning), Allied aircraft are striking out across the Mediterranean and the Royal Navy has taken a hand in bombarding Pantelleria, Mussolini’s Malta. The total haul of prisoners in Tunisia is expected to exceed 175,000. Malta is beginning to get her own back. Intruder aircraft from the famous island were out over Sicily and the toe of Italy in daylight yesterday and fighters from Malta also escorted United States bombers in an attack on shipping in harbour. More than 50 Liberators took part. Other aircraft from Malta attacked an Axis convoy off Southern Italy. Another force of American bombers flew to Sardinia, with a fighter escort and attacked harbour and industrial targets at Cagliari. They hit several vessels and left six burning. One blew up. Railway yards and other targets were also attacked. Nine enemy fighters were shot down. On the previous night the R.A.F. attacked Naples and left many fires burning in the docks and railway yards. From all operations one bomber is missing. Planes of the Fleet Air Arm took part in the naval bombardment of Pantelleria, acting as spotters for the naval gunners. For more than 20 minutes a steady stream of shells was poured on the mole and fires were left burning after the bombardment, This was the first time Pantelleria had been shelled and the enemy was taken by surprise. An observer in one of the naval planes said: “The shells came in fine, landing on the target area, particularly on the mole. ’ ’ The British Navy has also taken some prisoners—enemy troops trying to escape from Tunisia, Oyer 400 have been picked up, including a German general who was chief of staff of the Fifth German Division. A French communique states that enemy troops who surrendered to the French are still filing in. An enormous amount of captured war material is being counted. Mussolini has entrusted the defence of Italy to a military hierarchy consisting of himself, King Victor Emmanuel, Marshals Graziani, de Bono, and Caviglia.