ITALY'S DARK HOUR

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 June 1943, Page 4

ITALY'S DARK HOUR

GLOOMY TALK FROM ROME RADIO

“HANNIBAL AT THE GATES.” ATTACK ON BIG ALLIED CONVOY REPORTED. (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) (Received This Day, 12.55 p.m.) LONDON, June 13. Following on the disastrous two days in which Italy has lost all her island outposts between Sicily and the African mainland —Pantelleria, Lampedusa and Linosa —the Rome radio today prepared the Italian people for further Allied moves, particularly attacks against Sardinia or Sicily, or both An announcer said: “Hannibal is at the gates. This is the feeling that is current throughout the country today. The situation is the gravest Italy has ever faced in the whole of her modern history. Innumerable Allied ships are in Mediterranean waters. Our planes, with their German comrades, are hurling themselves incessantly into attack against enemy warships in the Sicilian Straits, in Algerian walers and off Cyrenaica.” The German News Agency also reported the concentration of a considerable number of small landing craft in Zizerta harbour, and claimed that German bombers, attacking on the night of June 12, sank or severely damaged at least twenty of these vessels. An Italian communique claims that the Luftwaffe attacked an enemy naval formation in the Sicilian Straits, sank a transport and 14 landing craft, and seriously damaged three cruisers, 14 smaller naval units and six cargo ships. The Rome radio reports that a great battle, which began yesterday, is now in progress between Axis dive-bombers and a large Allied convoy, sailing between Pantelleria and the Tunisian ccast, and including a large number of troop transports, ships carrying equipment and big landing barges, protected by powerful naval forces.

Meanwhile the Allied air forces are keeping up their onslaught against Sicily. Reuter’s correspondent at Allied Headquarters in North Africa declares that: “Sicily, the United Nations’ next stepping-stone to the Italian mainland, in the past 2-1 hours has taken another powerful hammering from the air. while a portion of the North-West African Air Force yesterday switched its attention to forcing Lampedusa to surrender.” Another message states that 140 naval and military personnel, taken prisoner on the island of Linosa, were evacuated.

ROME COMPLAINT TOO MUCH FORCE USED BY ALLIES. AGAINST ISLANDS OF LITTLE VALUE. (Received This Day, 1.30 p.m.) LONDON, June 13. An Italian communique announcing the surrender of Lampedusa, said: “Pounded continuously from air and sea, Lampedusa has ceased an unequal struggle.” The Rome radio complained that the Allies used such an overwhelming force against Pantelleria and Lampedusa as would have been better employed against a more worthy objective. The radio added: “These two small Italian islands have no greater value than Jersey or Guernsey, which are both occupied by the Germans.” “The Times” Algiers correspondent says that part of the garrison who took to the hills in Pantelleria are in a desperate position, with little food and almost no water. Tire Berlin, radio today quoted a report from La Linea that 43 British landing craft had arrived at Gibraltar. It is rumoured that these craft are destined for North Africa, where they will be held in readiness for an invasion attempt against Sicily. The radio also asserted that great activity has been observed in the fortress of Gibraltar. It is officially stated in Algiers that Italy has lest one million men since the outbreak of war.