WARMLY WELCOMED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 16 July 1943, Page 4

WARMLY WELCOMED

AMERICANS AT COMISO GREAT AIRFIELD DEVASTATED BY BOMBS. NEARBY TOWN UNHARMED. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.35 a.m.) RUGBY, July 15. Within a few hours of the occupation of Comiso airfield by American airborne troops, R.A.F. advanced units arrived, with American engineers and ground troops. At Comiso the town population gave the Americans and the R.A.F. a remarkably warm welcome. A R.A.F. officer, describing, the devastating bombing of Comiso by the Allies before the enemy evacuated it, said everywhere on and around the aerodrome were found scenes of destruction and of a hurried departure, such as were seen on the Tunisian battlefields—meals half eaten, halfempty wine bottles strewn about and cars laden with personal baggage, ready to move off. A few yards away were letters, newspapers and magazines, with pictures of Axis victories in Tunisia on the front page, and picture postcards, with slogans by Goering and the Duce, announcing complete victory. The aerodrome’s three Ifuge hangars were completely gutted, and the operations block, with its control tower, was one large skeleton of smashed halls. The preponderance of German material points to the fact that the Luftwaffe was the dominating force at this airfield one of the biggest and most important on the island, yet the nearby town of Comiso wgs never' touched by bombs. The famished citizens complained of rough treatment by the Germans, who had rifled their larders.

over the beaches and shipping, escorted American bombers on an attack mission and guarded Malta-based fighter-bombers. ■