Evening star., 1943-05-21
Allies Destroy 113 More Planes
In Raids on Italy and Sardinia;
81 Craft Are Blasted on Ground
P-38's Drop Bombs
On Dam Near
Gulf of Asinuru
By the Associated Press.

BS the Associated Press.
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN
NORTH AFRICA, May 21.-
American fighters and bombers
destroyed 113 enemy planes in
widespread and devastating
raids yesterday against Italy and
Sardinia. during what was Off
cially called "one of the greatest
victory days in the history OF
the strategic air force"
The strategical air force, under
command of Maj. Gen. James H.
Doolittle, is made up of American
heavy and medium and Raj me-
dium bombers.
It's formation was announced
April IS.
Sandman Dam Bombed.
Allied headquarters spokesmen
said that. in a swift hit-and-run
sweep over Northwestern Sardinia
P-38 Lightnings, outfitted as fight
er-bombers, dropped three bombs on
a dam 10 miles east of Sassari near
the Gulf of Asinara. Results were
not announced.
Aircraft of half dozen types par
ticipated in the whirlwind aerial
action in which 81 Axis planes were
shattered on the ground and %
Axis pilots engaged in air combat
we're sent crashing in flames.
Continuing their blows at the
European continent, Raj Mo-
squito bombers raided Berlin last
night for the second successive
night and the fifth time since
May 13. Other targets in France
and Germany also were attackedD
Big Transports Downed.
The North Africa communique an
nounced that seven of the planes
shot down in the Mediterranean
theater were Mersburg- -323s, the
huge German transports which are
capable of carrying 120 men each
or about 10 tons of freight.
The roll call of enemy aerial dis
aster thus was brought to 1876 planes
in two days Allied aircraft de-
stroyed 73 Axis planes aloft or on
the ground the day before in similar
heavy smashes at Italian bases in
the Mediterranean.
The RAF and the U. S. A. A. F..
disclosed in a joint communlque
that they had destroyed 5,172 Axis
planes in air combats in the Medi-
terranean area between the en-
trance of Italy into the war on June
10. 1910, and the collapse Of Axis
resistance in Tunisia this month.
More Shot Down.
OF these .3.415 were shot down by
the Middle East command squad
rons. including Malta based units,
and 1.757 in the Northwest African
campaign.
Since the defeat of the German
and Italian ground forces, however,
Allied airmen have brought down
SO more planes, swelling the North
African total to 1,846 and the list
in all the Mediterranean area to
5.261. This figures does not include
hundreds of enemy planes blasted
on tne RIOunO.
One American plane was lost in
the destruction of the lib enemy
planes yesterday.
Twelve of Is Savoia -Marchetti
79s, three -engined Italian bombers,
were set afire' on the Milas Air.
drome of Sardinia in attacks with
out pause to give the reeling
Axis air force any rest.
Flying Fortresses again raided
Grosseto Airdrome, 80 miles north
of Rome. and spokesman said
some of the finest precision bomb
ing of the war took place over It's
hangers. administration buildings
and runways.
Most of Aircraft Parked.
Fifty eight of SO aircraft parked
on the ground there were destroyed
during the high altitude attack
reconnaissance photographs showed
The fortified island of Pantelleria
IS miles east of Cap Bon, was
raided again.
P-3S Lightning fighters outfitted
with bombs ranged from one end of
Sardinia to the other, blasting
bridges. trains and barracks. BPS
Mitchells, with Lightning escorts,
bombed the Villacidro Airdrome
northwest of Cagliari while Bog
Malauders escorted by P-4O War
hawks attacked the nearby Decim-
omannu Airdrome. A spokesman
said they caused tremendous dam
age to planes on the ground and
in the air"
RAF Wellington bombers had at
tackled both Villacidro and Decim-
omannu the preceding night, caus-
ing large fires which illuminated
the targets after the enemy had
ISee RAIDS Poue A-OA