SUCCESSFUL LANDINGS BY ALLIED TROOPS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 July 1943, Page 3

SUCCESSFUL LANDINGS BY ALLIED TROOPS

ALL IMMEDIATE OBJECTIVES TAKEN

WAY LED BY AIRBORNE TROOPS 4 Naval Forces Support Landings Along Front of 100 Miles THREE AIRFIELDS SEIZED AND ALLIES ADVANCING INLAND NOT A SINGLE SHIP LOST IN INITIAL OPERATIONS LON, DON, July 11. Early yesterday morning British, American and Canadian troops, commanded by General Eisenhower (United States Army) Allied Commander-in-Chief in North Africa, invaded Sicily, landing oh the coastfat many points along a front of 100 miles under a heavy Allied aerial and naval bombardment. The landings were completed without serious loss. Artillery was brought ashore, and fighting proceeded. All the Allied landings were successful, and the troops are advancing, says the Algiers correspondent of the Associated Press of Great Britain. Reuter’s correspondent at Allied headquarters says that the assault forces have completed the initial landings in Sicily without the loss of a single ship. The vessels completed their hazardous mission without meeting submarine or other attacks. Allied troops in Sicily, a communique states, now hold three airfields. All the first immediate objectives are believed to have been taken. American and Canadian landing troops have made contact with parachute and glider troops who had been landed on the island on Friday night and Saturday. The main body of the enemy forces has not yet been encountered, but contact has been made with Italian coastal defence units. A correspondent states that the British and Canadian troops have fought their way inland and have captured Comiso a town with a population of 20,000, in the south-eastern part of the island. An airfield nearby has fallen into their hands and two other airfields have been seized by Americans, who have beaten off Axis tank attacks. Allied troops are pushing inland and advance forces have linked up with parachute and glider troops, dropped some hours before. These troops carried out special work behind the enemy’s defence lines. Allied casualties so far are believed to be light. - The Allied attack was a tactical surprise to the enemy. Men, guns and supplies are pouring ashore under cover of Allied warships. Several of the enemy’s best airfields are proved by reconnaissance to be knocked out. On one between 30 and 40 Axis aircraft can be seen lying wrecked. It is revealed that more than 2000 ships took part in the landing operations. The 100 miles of shoreline along which the Allies landed in Sicily extends north-eastward from Cape Pasero at the southeasternmost tip somewhere toward Syracuse, and westward to Gela Licata, says an American broadcaster from Algiers.