Evening star., 1943-08-29
Italian RaiIwayLines
Almost Para|yzed
By Bomb Damage
By the Associated Press.

| BY the Associated Press.
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN
NORTH AFRICA, Aug. 28.-The
steady Allied air scourging of
Southern Italy's railways has vir-
tually paralyzed train traffic
from the Naples area to the toe
and heel of the peninsula, air.
force officers declared today,
with fresh wreckage strewn yes
terday near Naples and by Flying
Fortresses at Sulmona, 100 miles
east of Rome.
Some trains are moving, but
with great difficulty and many de-
lays since main line tracks have
been knocked out in countless
places, switching stations and other
rail buildings demolished, and yards
filled with gaping craters, Allied
headquarters said.
Wrecked locomotives and passen-
ger and freight cars and in some
cases remains of entire trains
block the tracks at many points,
especially at Benevento, junction
near Naples where damaged freight
cars bar the way to the yards.
Freight Yards Blasted.
Other points hard hit by re-
lentless American day bombing
and British night hammering in
clude Naples, Villa Literna, Sapri,
laramie and Foggia.
Freight yards at Benevento were
straddled by bombs from United
States BIS Mitchells in renewed
attacks yesterday, and Flying Fort
resses in a heavy assault blasted
the lines at Sulmona near the east
coast for the first time. B-26 Ma
rauders hammered Caserta near
Naples, medium and fighter bomb
ers spread ruin wide over Southern
Italy. and RAF heavy Wellingtons
followed up last night with block
busters on the freight yards at
Salerno, south of Naples.
Twenty German and Italian fight
ers were downed as the enemy put
up stiffening resistance, and nine
Allied planes were lost yesterday
Aerial reconnaissance showed that
the line OF extremely heavy destruc-
ton extends across Italy from the
Gulf of Naples to the Gulf of Man
fredonia, and that rail traffic in all
the area south of this line is prac-
tically at standstill.
Troop Movements Slowed.
Spurs probably have been con-
structed around some main line
points where tracks were blown out,
enabling trains to pass, but greatly
slowing traffic. At other points, no
attempts have yet been made to re-
open the lines.
The rail paralysis undoubtedly has
made movements of troops and mill
tary supplies difficult problem for
the Axis, endangering defense of all
Southern Italy
Southern Italy's rail system con-
sists of main lines all along the coast
with an important east-west route
from Naples to the Adriatic coast
via Benevento and Foggia. There
are north and south inland lines
and many sidelines running through
Italy's innumerable valleys.
Scarcely any of them has escaped
Allied bombs, but the main juno
tion points haye been the chief
targets.
The onslaught on rail lines be-
gan August Is as Allied land forces
were closing in on Messina, making
few targets for the Air Force in
Sicily. 1t has been vigorously pur-
sued nearly every day since then.
and represents the most concen-
trated destruction of railways since
the start of the war.
Biggest Attack So Far.
Yesterdays program was the big
gest SO far in the number of freight
yards hit, and put the Northwest
Africa Tactical Air Force planes
out in their heaviest attacks since
Sicily fell.
These Tactical Force flights sent
four formations of Mitchells and
Bostons against the rail and road
hub of Catanzaro, Bostons to bomb
Axis gun positions at Reggie Gala
bria across from Messina, and A-36
Invaders to destroy rail junction
at Sibari and rake the west coast
ports of Paola and Cetraro.
The Mitchells laid bombs on the
locomotive works at Benevento be-
sides tearing up the rail lines, and
these flights, meeting the heaviest
opposition, shot down Is of the
days bag of enemy planes. One
formation alone tailed 13 of the
attackers.
One Fortress crewman said the
heavy American bombers did a
swell job of smashing" targets at
Sulmona, and Wellington crews re-
ported excellent concentration" of