Evening star., 1943-05-25
300 U. S. Planes Blast 9 Torqets
In Sardinia; Italians Evocuotinq
Many Towns to Escape Attacks
Refugees Stream
Into Rome From
Ruided Areas
o. the Associated Press.

NORTH AFRICA. May 25.-Th'
Allies hammered the Italian
island of Sardinia yesterday
sending more than 800 American
planes to attack nine importan
defense targets on that stepping
stone to Italy.
(Reports reaching Switzerland
said thousands of bomb-daZed
refugees were fleeing north from
Southern Italy and from islands
in the Mediterranean.
(They saiG an exodus was under
way from many towns on the toe
of the Italian boot. with Rome
already receiving thousands at
tempting to escape Allied bonn
bardment.
GA Rome broadcast admitted
that "city districts proper" at
Cagliari, capital of Sardinia. had
been abandoned as a result of the
violent Allied aerial offensive.
with Allied planes stepping up
the fury of their assault on the
invasion trail" into Southern
Europe, Italy's Crown Prince
Umberto was quoted by the Brit
ish radio as warning Italians that
they were short of arms and must
throw all their spiritual and
physical strength" in the struggle.
premier Mussolini was said to
have called Fascist party chiefs
of the Rome district last night
and given them new orders-pre-
sumably dealing with measures to
combat an Allied invasion.)
Pantelleria Raided Again.
Bomb-pitted Pantelleria, the lit.
tie fortified island IS miles off Capt
Bon which was under almost con
tinuous attack much Of Sunday ane
Sunday night. was raided again yes.
terday by American fighter bomber.
IN the steady air offensive agains
the Axis southern front.
Twelve enemy aircraft were de.
stroyed in combat during these op.
erations of the last "a hours, ane
1t was officially stated that an un.
estimated number of others wer,
wrecked on the ground.
tThis brought the number OF
destroyed Axis aircraft in the last
six days to at least 329 as a re-
suit Of operations by the North
west African, Cairo and Malta
Air ForcesJ
Waves of Flying Fortresses. Ma
rauders. Mitchells, Lightnings anc
Warhawks roared over Sardinia
where German troops were an
nounced yesterday by Berlin to have
landed. The planes unleashed g
storm of bombs and dealt thei,
heaviest blows to this vital Axi.
base west of the Italian mainland.
Docks, shipping and airhelds suf
fered heavily. One supply ship ex-
ploded, four small vessels were sunk
and seven others damaged bv bomb
hits.
The Americans lost three planes
during the Sandman sweeps.
Cost Is Negligible.
The present Allied air offensive
unlike the German Air Forces at
tempts to neutralize the British
fortress island of Malta last year
when Marshal Erwin Rommel was
pressing toward the Nile, maintained
its full striking power with negli-
gible cost, taking full advantage OF
the Fortresses' ability to carry out
high level precision bombing while
defending themselves.
Fires visible for SO miles blazed
from Terranova Harbor on the
northeast coast of Sardinia when the
four-engined bombers hit dock in
stallations. warehouses and ai> am
munition dump. One supply ship
was blown up there. another burst
into flames, and a third was badly
smashed
Roaring over La Maddalena. Sar-
dinia's naval base in the north the
I va VI SooSS SduoCd SCNClS odlldSC ~
the causeway and swinging bridge
hit an oil pier and mole and splin-
tered number of seaplanes at the
nearby island of Caprera.
Airfield Is Raided.
A large forma ton of Mitchells
raided the Olbia -Venaforita airfielc
in Northern Sardinia while beating
of eight enemy fighters with the
help of escorting Lightnings. -Four
of these interceptors were shot down
AS bombs blanketed the field, de-
stroying or damaging a number OF
scattered aircraft and setting build
lngs aflre
Carloforte Harbor, on the south
west tip; ArbataX, the east coast:
1glesias, on the west coast. and AL
ghero airfield, in the north. also
came under the bomb and machine
tSee MEDITERRANEAN Pig. A-l6.)