AGONY IN NAPLES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 October 1943, Page 4

AGONY IN NAPLES

ORGY OF GERMAN SACKING . & LOOTING " WHOLESALE DESTRUCTION IN CITY & PORT NAZI TALK OF COMMUNIST RIOTING (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) r (Received This Day, 11.5 a.m.) LONDON. September 30. ; The Neapolitans are suffering •their last hours of agony under ‘.German occupation. Correspondents ■in Southern Italy report that the Germans have renewed their orgy “of sacking, looting and burning. Great fires are raging in the city as -.German demolition squads destroy • factories, warehouses, public utilities and works of art. Today's German communique states: “We have thoroughly destroyed harbour installations at Naples and have also taken the severest measures against Communist riots.” The Berlin radio said there was widespread rioting and- sabotage in Naples as a result of methodical Communist co-operation with the Allies. Energetic measures, it is added, have been carried out in order to exclude the danger of an Allied landing in co-opera-tion with the Communists. ALLIED ARMIES PRESSING ON STEADILY '» POWERFUL AND SUSTAINED AIR ATTACKS • (Received This Day. 11.20 a.m.) RUGBY, September 30. • The Allied Fifth and Eighth arm- " ies have made more progress and • have captured more towns. Today’s confirms that Pompeii is in Fifth Army hands and also a road junction at the eastern ap- « proaches to the Naples plain. On the plain itself, the Fifth Army has ? made further gains in face of extensive German demolitions. On the Eighth Army front progress continues to be satisfactory and our troops have reached the coastal town of Manfredonia, 23 miles north-east of Foggia. A correspondent says the Germans are still resisting on the direct approaches tb Naples. “They are fighting a rearguard action,” he adds, “and are being pressed hard all the lime by t'anks ?nd mobile forces, which now have room to deploy on the frontal line. The Germans are making our progress as slow as they can and we are having to fight our way to Naples, but we may reach it at any time now.” What the establishment of the Salerno bridgehead cost the Fifth Army is shown in figures issued today. From the day of the first landing on September 8 till September 20, our losses were 5,211 killed, wounded or missing. Yesterday the weather over Italy improved and our aircraft were out again within a 25 miles radius of Naples. Our rpedium and heavy bombers made heavy attacks on roads, railways and bridges, and it is estimated that the enemy's main link with Rome was cut in six places at least. At almost all of these places our aircraft met a heavy fire’ from the ground, a fact which shows how valuable the enemy considers these targets for the moment, but there was no other opposition and not a single enemy machine was encountered. Last night, Wellingtons bombed Fotmia, 45 miles north-west of Naples. They hit the main electrical plant and di(j other damage,. /Except for three nights previously, when bad weather stopped attacks, Wellington have been out on bombing attacks for 61 successive nights. RUINOUS DAMAGE w IN ANCIENT AND MODERN pompeii. ■ ’i (Received This Day, 11.30 a.m.) LONDON, September 30. The ruins of Pompeii have taken on a new meaning, says the British United Press correspondent with the Fifth Army. Modern Pompeii is ruined; ancient Pompeii is still more ruined. The damage was done during the final battle cracked the German defences before Naples. “When I entered Pompeii yesterday morning, with the first British troops,” the correspondent adds, “German tanks, working their way around Vesuvius, were pumping shells into the town. The inevitable tourist guide was still doing business. One popped out of a bomb crater and we crawled through the ruins. We found the amphitheatre intact, but the Forum, Museum and other places were damaged.” FAMOUS VILLA DESTROYED DURING ALLIED LANDING. ACCORDING TO BERLIN RADIO. (Received This Day, 11.15 a.m.) LONDON, September 30. The Berlin radio stated that during the Allied landing in Capri, Dr. Axel Munthe’s villa at San Michele was destroyed. Dr. Munthe, for many years physician to the Queen of Sweden, won world fame with his book, “The Story of San Michele.” GERMAN REPORTS OF EVACUATION OF NAPLES. PEOPLE SAID TO HAVE RISEN IN REVOLT. (Received This Day, 1.20 p.m.) LONDON, September 30. The latest reports indicate that the people of Naples have risen in open revolt against the Germans, as the Fifth Army is drawing near the city. It is significant these reports emanate from German sources. The Berlin correspondent of the Stockholm newspaper “Aftonbladet’ ’goes so far as to say the evacuation of the city has already been completed, “owing to a Communist revolt.” The Rome radio, broadcasting this afternoon, said: “The British Fleet at this moment is bombarding Naples.” i

FOGGIA AIRFIELDS SPEEDILY REPAIRED. IN USE WITHIN FEW HOURS. (Received This Day, 1.20 p.m.) LONDON. September 30. Specialised Allied repair squads entered Foggia immediately its capture was assured and within a few hours had aerodromes working and planes were able to operate and bomb the railway line 100 miles north of the city. •