FEVERISH RUSH

Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 May 1943, Page 3

FEVERISH RUSH

DEFENCE PREPARATIONS IN ITALY ALL SCHOOLS CLOSING DOWN. ADMISSION OF NAVAL & AIR WEAKNESSES. LONDON, May 15. It is reported from. Berne, Switzerland, that Italy is feverishly preparing against the threat of invasion. The Italian Minister of Education has ordered the? closure of all schools in the nation by May 22 in order to assist the civilian evacuation and to liberate the 18 and 19-year-olds, who so far have been exempt from military service. Italian troop trains are reported to be rushing to the Calabrian Peninsula. Marshal Badoglio has returned from a flying tour of inspection of the defences and reported to the King and military experts. The Italian Senate met for six hours yesterday to hear reports on the measures taken to protect “Italy’s sacred soil against foreign invasion.” The Secretary of the Navy, Admiral Riccardi, stressed the precarious state of Italy’s land communications in the event of invasion, and warned that while what was left of the Italian Fleet could not prevent an AngloAmerican invasion it would do its utmost to interfere with any such attempt. The naval struggle for the possession of North Africa had been a continuous struggle against an enemy who was superior in number, specially in his great naval and air reserves, Riccardi said. The fight for Tunisia had been particularly hard; it was carried on within a very confined space for six months, during which the enemy employed not only ' cruisers, destroyers, motor torpedo-boats, fast minelayers and submarines, but, above all, planes and still more planes. Supplies could not always be shipped from‘Marsala to Cape Bon, but had often to be taken from other ports, involving a far longer crossing. Particularly dangerous was the last part of the shipping route, through the heav-ily-mined Sicilian Straits, where the convoys were constantly exposed to atAIR FORCE LOSSES. The Secretary for Air, Signor Fougier, announced that 18,500 airmen were lost in the African campaign. Italy was lately placed at a great disadvantage, not being able to turn out such a variety of new planes as her enemies. “The enemy will certainly intensify his air offensive in the hope of breaking the resistance of Italy,” he said. “The enemy will not abstain from terror raids against civilians. True to its tradition, the Italian Air Force will do everything to meet the enemy and repulse him wherever he attacks.” He declared ihat the Italian Air Force since the outbreak of the war had sunk 145 Allied merchantmen totalling more than 1,000,000 tons, and 67 warships, and destroyed 2343 planes, including 1944 in combat, and probably destroyed 1000 others. The Secretary for War, General Sorice, stated that precautions had been taken for the rapid transport of troops to points where the enemy might land. A special mobile corps was being formed, and all vulnerable areas had been reinforced, including the coast of Montenegro and Dalmatia. For the event of a successful enemy landing — a possibility that could not be overlooked —special rationing and supply plans had already been worked out. “SOMEWHAT ANXIOUS.” New disciplinary measures would shortly be taken to strengthen the home front, and legislation had also been prepared for putting certain areas under military jurisdiction, he added. The population, though somewhat anxious, firmly believed in the final victory and was determined to defend the Italian soil. Sorice added that 10 Italian divisions had been lost in North Africa during the Tunisian campaign, and six generals and 23 colonels had been taken prisoner. The “Deutsche Diplomatische Korrespondenz,” the official journal of the German Foreign Office, declares: “The German Army will defend every inch of Italian soil just as that of its own country. The German-Italian brotherhood in arms will stand its ultimate and supreme test wherever the enemy j attacks.”