The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-05-10
BOMBING RAID
ROCKS SICILY
Tremendous Toll OF Axis
War Works Taken at
Port of Palermo
BY REYNOLDS PACKARD
United Press Staff CORRESPONDENT

UNITED Press Staff Correspondent
U. S. Flying Fortress Base, North
Africa, May 10.-CUP)-R econnais-
ance photographs today showed that
the biggest all American bombing
raid in history had taken tremen-
dous toll of Axis war works at the
Sicilian port of Palermo on Sunday,
and knocked out at least Is enemy
fighting planes.
Heavy damage to the Fiat factory,
the iron and steel works, arsenals
where shell cases are made and to
chemical works was shown in photo
graphs taken during several recon-
Nuisance flights
Officers said that the targets had
been hit as planned with tremen-
dous effect. One photograph showed
the oil storage depot still burning
with smoke rising more than 5000
feet.
sew four Messerschmitts shot
down by the fortress in which I flew
during the Palermo raid, and later,
talks with members Of other crews
showed that a total Of at least 10
enemy planes were knocked out. The
final score may be larger.
More than 400 Flying F'ortresses,
Billy Mitchells and Martin Maraud-
ers carrying enormous loads of ex-
plosives droned across the Medi-
terranean to this important italian
base Sunday noon, following up the
Axis rout In Tunisia.
The entire harbor of Palermo was
shrouded in billowing clouds of dust
and smoke. Here and there tongues
of flame broke through. Visibility
was good and we could see the
whole show clearly.
The American formation was pro-
tected by many tailed Light
ming fighters
Hundreds and hundreds of bombs
were dropped. There was a flash
and flames from the center Of town
leaped 800 feet into the air. 1t
probably was an important oil
dump.
There were black puffs which
mushroomed and exploded around
us as the planes passed through
flax fields. The big bombers shook.
-Four German Messerschmitts at
tackled a Fortress. The P.38 Lightn-
ings darted in and one Messer-
schmitt burst into flames. The others
peeled ffand disappeared.
The bombers approached their
target from the sea- striking across
the city from the harbor They left
a trail Of obstruction right into the
heart of the industrial ouatrer.
At times there were so Messer-
schmitts in the air. The Fortress
gunners and the Lightning pilots
went into action effectively. -Four OF
the enemy planes plunged into the
Straits of Sicily.
Maj. Robert Kimmel, an Ohio
flyer, commanded the entire Fortress
group. One of the four-engined bonn
bers, the yankee Queen" in which
I was riding, had been on 35 mis-
sions during the Tunisian campaign
and had shot down six German
planes.
Crew members included Aerial
Engineer Tech. Sgt. John OConnell
OF Tauton. Mass.
The crew had autographed the
bambs. Typical sentiments express
ed we're: ITO Musso and his dogs
from Staff Sgt. Asmussen" and ito
the duck and his comic opera
cohorts from Pilot Keele'
On the way from Bizerte to
Palermo, Keele said:
This is the first time that we
don't need to worry about Messer-
schmitts bucking In on us from
North Africa. From today on, the
bombardment of Europe from North
African bases will be a simple mat
ter. This raid should be the fore
runner Of many to come"