WEAK AS EVER

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 August 1943, Page 3

WEAK AS EVER

ITALIAN ANTI-AIRCRAFT DEFENCES LANCASTERS MEET LITTLE OPPOSITION. IN LATEST RAID ON NORTHERN CITIES. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.20 a.m.) RUGBY. August 8. The significant fact that emerged from last night’s attack, on Milan, Turin and Genoa was that the Germans had not reinforced the antiaircraft defences of Northern Italy, states the Air Ministry news service. No effort apparently had been made to strengthen the defences of the three cities, which, according to the bomber crews, were as weak 1 ly defended as ever. There was little flak and only one or two night fighters, and the searchlights seemed to be handled by completely in-

experienced men. A Lancaster pilot, who made three previous flights over Northern Italy, said there were quite a lot of search lights when he arrived over Turin, but the ground crews soon went to pieces when the bombing started. "They seemed to have no plan of defence," said the pilot, “and made no attempt even to build up their beams into cones. At one point, when most of us were over Turin, calmly flying backwards and forwards, picking out targets, the searchlights were still in a ring around the city. They might just as well not have been there at all." When the crews arrived back in England, they were all confident that they had hit their targets. “We were a little early, and did a leisurely circuit around Turin," one pilot said. “The searchlights were waving rather aimlessly. I don't know who would have been the more surprised if the beams had picked up a Lancaster —the ground crews or the air crews. Then thp flares dropped and the city was lit up as though by daylight. We could see streets, churches, factories, railway lines and the main station. We made a circuit over the city, while flak and searchlights hardly interfered, and dropped our bombs. Fires began to spring up rapidly, and by the time wc left they had a good hold." Pilots who went to Milan and Genoa reported a similar lack of defence. At first it was believed that three of our bombers were missing. Later it was learned that one had gone to North Africa because of engine trouble.

LOOTING IN CATANIA PEOPLE OF TOWN RUN WILD. ALLIED TROOPS RESTORE ORDER. LONDON. August 7. Catania was given over to an orgy of looting by the civilian population for three hours following upon the fall of the city, says Reuter's correspondent with the Eighth Army. The first British troops to pass through Catania in pursuit of the retreating Germans saw strange scenes as looters raided shops, and the local police stood by helplessly till British security troops arrived and restored order.

Men and women engaged in wild fighting, slapping and scratching at each other for the possession of the few articles the Germans left behind, and even children fought for toys, which were torn apart in the struggle.

NAVAL SUPPORT FOR LAND ASSAULT UNITS. BROUGHT INTO FULL USE IN SICILY. (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) LONDON, August 8. An entirely new system of naval gunnery procedure, introducing naval support for the Army on a scale never before attempted, which was tried out in the Dieppe raid and during the landings in North Africa, was brought into full use during the invasion of Sicily, and proved an unqualified success, says Reuter’s correspondent with the Mediterranean Fleet. ■ Every assault unit which was.engaged in the land attack against Sicily had a forward observation officer who worked with a specially-trained opposite number aboard one of the supporting ships. This enabled the infantry to get vital artillery, support, often against targets which were invisible from the sea, before the field artillery units had time to land. Enemy strongpoints inland were battered with incredible accuracy by the warships.