PRESSING INLAND

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 September 1943, Page 3

PRESSING INLAND

AND NORTH ALONG COAST Allied Forces in Toe of Italy HEAVY BOMBING OF AIRFIELDS & RAILWAYS ROUND NAPLES _/ -SEVENTEEN ENEMY FIGHTERS DESTROYED LONDON, September 7 . The Allied invasion forces in Italy are steadily growing in strength and further increasing their hold on Italian territory. British and Canadian troops now control some 50 miles of the coastline, from Palmi in the north to a point beyond Melito in the southr. They have also driven many miles inland. The main Allied forces are pushing north along the coast, following the fall of Palmi yesterday and other troops are making very good progress into the interior. Yesterday, they captured a place 20 miles from the coast, on a lateral road. Enemy troops in the south-eastern portion of the toe of Italy will soon be in danger of being cut off. The* enemy is making the most of the difficult country and extensive demolitions are tending to slow up progress. ’ Ships of the Royal Navy are continuing their non-stop shuttle service with men and supplies across the Straits of Messina. The Allied forces in Italy are steadily increasing in strength and tanks and artillery are already moving forward with the advanced troops. Allied fighters and fighter-bombers are keeping up their dive-bombing attacks over the battle area, without opposition from Axis fighters. Further north, bombers carried out one of the most concentrated series of attacks ever made in the Naples area. A great weight’of bombs was dropped on five airfields and four marshalling yards, all within 50 miles of Naples. The blow was aimed at the air defences and enemy’s lines of supply in the area. On this supply line the whole of Southern Italy depends. Very few enemy fighters tried to interfere and those that did were severely mauled. The enemy lost 17 aircraft and the Allies four.

WRECKED AXIS PLANES 56 FOUND ON REGGIO # AIRFIELD. SPITFIRE PILOT FIRST TO LAND. V (British Official Wireless.) {Received This Day, 9.50 a.m.) RUGBY, September 7. When Reggio airfield was captured early on Friday morning, R.A.F. service commandos, with the assistance of sappers were at work within a few hours repairing the runway and field. Scattered around the airfield were found the remains of 56 Axis planes. Many fed heen wrecked by our bombs, but others had been disabled or destroyed by the Axis to prevent them falling into our hands intact. The honour of being the first pilot to land on the mainland went to a Spitfire pilot running short of petrol. He decided to take a chance and to land on the Reggio airfield early on Friday afternoon. This occurred while he was returning from a sweep covering advancing troops. “I was over Reggio at the time and saw the airfield and decided to take a chance,” he said. ROME RADIO WAIL DESIRE TO KNOW ALLIED AIMS. (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) LONDON, September 6. The Rome radio, broadcasting in both the home and overseas services, said: “We don’t want to haggle over words. We are prepared to face stark reality. We therefore ask you, Britain and America: ‘Do you intend to respect the independence and unity of our unfortunate country? If so, why don’t you say so? Do the Anglo-Saxon war and peace aims guarantee Italy’s 1919 frontiers, or do they mean a further amputation?’ ” ■