USEFUL BASE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 June 1943, Page 3

USEFUL BASE

GAINED BY THE ALLIES FOR AIRCRAFT AND SMALL SHIPS. TEXT 07 THE SURRENDER ULTIMATUM. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.50 a.m.) RUGBY, June 11. The capture of Pantelleria removes a possibly troublesome threat to the restored Allied sea communications in the Mediterranean and gives Allied fighter aircraft and small ships a useful additional base for operations against Sicily. The Italians used the harbour as a U-boat base, but it is not believed that submarines operated from the island. The airfield has been put out of action by Allied bombers but could easily be restored for the use of fighters, as have been the Tunisian airfields. Just as Malta is an island aircraftcarrier facing the east end of the Sicilian coast, so Pantelleria is another facing the western end of the coast'. The island, which is wholly of volcanic formation, has an area of 40 square miles and had a population, before the war, of 9,500. The island lacks fresh water and its investment probably prevented the replenishment of supplies from Italy. “The fall of the island shows to what an extent we now have domination of the sea and air even in the narrow waters of the Sicilian Channel,” a British commentator on the Algiers radio said. The Algiers radio also gave the full text of the ultimatum to the island, which was broadcast to the garrison and was also dropped as leaflets. These read: “I have ordered the suspension of the bombardment for six hours to communicate the following message on behalf of the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces. Firstly, to avoid fresh loss of human life, the Commander-in-Chief suggests that you cease all resistance and order the garrison of the island to surrender. Secondly, should you not accept this invitation, attacks will be resumed on a considerably larger scale. They will continue without respite until all resistance ceases. Thirdly, your Excellency should know that to continue resistance under the conditions prevailing would be a venture bare of hope and in spite of heroism it would be bound to end in failure. In view of the crushing superiority of the Allied forces there would be nothing dishonourable in surrender, especially as after one has fulfilled his duty one is entitled to avoid the needless shedding of blood.” The ultimatum also gave instructions regarding the course to be taken if the garrison agreed to surrender. Admiral Cunningham and General Eisenhower witnessed the naval bombardment of Pantelleria on Tuesday from the bridge of the British cruiser Aurora. According to a message just received from Allied Headquarters in North Africa they saw the dramatic combined naval and air assault. Other ships taking part in the bombardment were the cruisers Newfoundland, Orion, Penelope and Euryalus.