ITALIAN FLEET
MAY ACT WITH ALLIED FORCES QUESTION NOT DETERMINED YET. GREAT NAVAL ASSEMBLY AT MALTA. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.30 a.m.) RUGBY, September 13. “We have trusted their word implicitly,”’ states a correspondent at Malta, referring to the position of the Italian Fleet. “There is no physical reason to prevent the whole fleet bombarding Malta at this moment.” What will happen to the fleet has not yet been revealed, but there does not appear to be any intention of asking any of the officers or crews to leave the ships, and should the fleet, or part of it, be transferred, it will presumably sail as an Italian fleet, flying the red, white and green flag of Italy, and under the command of an Italian admiral, acting under the directions of Admiral Sir A. Cunningham. As far as could be seen, the correspondent added, the fleet would act like any Allied fleet in the Mediterranean. There are four Italian admirals with the fleet, the senior being Admiral De Zara, who is in the battleship Caio--buillio. Some of the Italian ships took wounded from the Roma to North Africa before entering Valetta. A powerful British fleet which escorted the Italian fleet to Malta remained in harbour during the week-end, and the assembly of battleships and cruisers probably was one of the greatest seen during the war. Naval honours were paid to the Italian fleet throughout, and British crews appeared in “rig of the day,” that is, white shirts and shorts, instead of the usual rough khaki working clothes.
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Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 September 1943, Page 3
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259ITALIAN FLEET Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 September 1943, Page 3
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