BEATEN INSENSIBLE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 June 1943, Page 3

BEATEN INSENSIBLE

FATE OF PANTELLERIA. MORE THAN 10,000 PRISONERS TAKEN. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, June 12. There are no reports of a single casualty in the landing force on Pantelleria. A British soldier who experienced the blitz in England and fought throughout the Tunisian campaign, said that the damage which had been done on Pantelleria by the air bombardment was the worst he had ever seen. Forts received direct hits which smashed right through the cement, and coastal guns were demolished. There were only a few casualties among the civilians, who lived day and night in shelters in the rock? More than 10,00 Italians were taken prisoner on Pantelleria, and 3000 of these are already on their way to the mainland. The First British Division, including many veterans of Dunkirk, made the landing on the island. The troops had difficulty in distinguishing the Italian officers among the masses of troops who surrendered. There is not a single German among the prisoners. A special correspondent of the combined British Press, who was an eyewitness of the fall of the island, says: “Pantelleria fell to the British without a shot of oppositoin after a mammoth final aerial bombardment. The troops who landed yesterday afternoon found the ulace an utter shambles. The later parlies landed on heaps of rubble which used to be jetties and encountered no trouble. “The island is still being methodically mopped up. There were 15,000 Italians on the island, commanded by

an admiral who is still in the hills. The 6000 civilians had been without water for three days, and the landing party was ordered to share its water-bottles with civilians. “The island is still filled with smoke and flames from the last terrible raid. A huge ■ oil-dump is burning fiercely near the town. There are so many bomb-holes that sometimes three or four run together. The island was beaten insensible by bombs."