SICILIAN CAPITAL CAPTURED BY AMERICANS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 July 1943, Page 3

SICILIAN CAPITAL CAPTURED BY AMERICANS

After Rapid Advance Across Island FIERCE BATTLE CONTINUES SOUTH OF CATANIA ENEMY RESISTANCE ELSEWHERE DISSOLVING LONDON, -Lily 23. United States troops have captured Palermo, the capital of Sicily after a drive right across the island to the north-west coast Palermo, with a population of 400,000, is one of the great Italian ports. It lies inside a ring’ of mountains, but tne men of the Seventh Army met with little resistance. The Americans have thus cut off the Italian forces remaining at the western end of the island. The fall of Marsala to another United States column was reported yesterday to be imminent. General Alexander, commander of the invasion forces, today praised the Americans as very fine fighting troops. A correspondent says that they carried out the feat of shifting an entire division “sideways” 50 miles in two days. The only serious fighting in Sicily is now near Catania, in the east, where the battle between the Germans and the Eighth Army is still raging fiercely. Elsewhere resistance is dissolving all over the island. By the capture of Palermo, the Americans have cut the island in two. Axis troops in the west, believed to be Italians, are now isolated. The advance of the Americans has been so rapid that the Italians had no time to carry out demolition work. The harbour in Palermo, one of the finest in Sicily, was left practically intact by the Axis forces. The Algiers radio reports that American forces are rapidly advancing along the coast east of Palermo. The Germans near Catania are still offering extremely fierce resistance to the Eighth Army. Many British troops who have been through all the earlier fighting, state that the present conflict is the most severe they have known. AIR ATTACKS ON ITALY AND SARDINIA Railway communications on the Italian mainland through which the Axis brings supplies and reinforcements have been attacked by Allied aircraft. Yesterday and on the night before, three important junctions were raided. A tremendous amount of damage was done. Over Sardinia, Warhawks shot down 17 out of 25 Axis aircraft which tried to intercept the Allied planes. The total bag for the day was 24 Axis planes for the loss of six Allied aircraft. . . r . A German, report states that British and American airci aft attacked German airfields in Crete. The raid was carried out by strong forces. There is no confirmation of this report from Allied sources.