Evening star., 1943-07-05
Half Dozen Big Sici|ion Airfie|ds
Hammered by Allied Bombers;
43 Axis Planes Downed in Fiqhts
Is Aircraft Missina
From Operations
Over Week End
3y the Associated Press.

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NORTH AFRICA, July 5.-With
air supremacy over Sicily at
stake, American and British
squadrons attacked more than a
hal fdozen of the islands major
landing fields yesterday and shot
down 43 Axis fighters 'in fierce
air battles" it was announced
today.
Despite the heaviest opposition
from German and Italian flyers
since the height of the Tunisian cam
paign, all but 13 of the Allied planes
returned from these missions and
other attacks Saturday night.
GA British communique from
Valletta said Malta's Spitfires
escorted some American bombers
over Sicily yesterday and de-
stroyed six enemy fighters
against a loss of three. The bull
letin did not bring out whether
these were in addition to, or in
cluded in, the total announced
at Allied headquarters)
The Saturday night forays, men,
toned previously in Italian broad
casts, included a blockbuster raid on
the Lido di Roma seaplane base
southwest of Rome; fresh blow at
Trapani the Western Sicilian port
at which aerial reconnaissance has
disclosed the Italians to be blowing
up shipping installations; and Ca
tania, an Eastern Sicilian port
where railway yards were the target.
British bombers executed these raids.
(The italian high command
communique, broadcast from
Rome and recorded by the Asso-
ciated Press, asserted Axis fight
ers and antiaircraft guns had
destroyed 10S Allied planes at the
week end, 56 of them yesterday
Pounded Throughout Day.
Sicily's main airfelds, including
those of Catania, Gerbini. Sciacca,
Comiso and Milo, were pounded by
the Allied bombers throughout In
dependence Day.
Intercepted by swarms of German
and Italian fighters. Flying Fortress
formations destroyed at least 18 in
combat while attacking the Catanla
airdome, which lies almost within
the shadow of volcanic Mount Aetna.
Fermentation bombs cascaded on
runways and dispersal areas and
flames spurted up from the Catania
field.
Mitchell medium bombers began
the July Fourth offensive shortly
after midnight in joint attack with
RAF Bostons against Comiso. IRE
mendous sheets of fire were reported
by the airmen to have been started
In the target area.
American-manned Bostons struck
at the Sciacca field soon after dawn,
starting two fires and exploding a
large building.
Fires Set at Milo.
Raj bombers set two fires roaring
at the Milo airfield.
Several important airdromes
about Gerbini. in Eastern Sicily,
we're hit hard by Mitchells while
escorting Lightnings shot down six
enemy planes.
Marauders also attacking Gerbini
destroyed IA enemy planes in COM
bat second only to the Fortress bat
tie in fierceness.
(The italian Sunday commd-
nique said that on Saturday
night Allied planes bombed Ostia,
a seaplane base at the mouth of
the Tiber River II miles south
west of Rome, and Fiumicino, 2
miles north across the river, and
declared the bombers cruised
repeatedly over Rome's outskirts,
drawing fire of the capitals anti
aircraft batteries. The Lido di
Roma base lies near Ostia.
(The Allies provided no con-
firmation of the reports. Allied
communiques in the theater Of
war often delay announcements
of raids as much as SO hours.)
Yesterdays attack on Catania by
the Northwest African force fol-
lowed up a Saturday night pound
ing delivered by RAF bombers OF
the Middle East Command, which
dropped bombs on railway yards
north of the harbor after fighting
bad weather to reach the target.
Apparently the Saturday night
raid on Trapani was intended to
finish off some of the damage start
ed in a raid Friday night and de-
molition work the Italians had
started in the harbor area.
Thus the Allied bomber and fighter
planes which had closed out last
weeks pounding of Axis invasion