Evening star., 1943-07-23
Palermo Falls 10 u. :.
Forces, |so|ating
Western Sicily
Continued From First Page)

'SollGlIlucu from flTSC Pa8e.)
nearly 200 miles (by road across
from Celia. where the Americans
landed II days before.
Mopping Up Begins.
Meanwhile, other, American COL
umns had been thrown out along the
southwestern perimeter of Sicily,
where they had reached Castelve-
trano two days ago and the mopping
up operations in the entire area
west of the line running from Emma
to Palermo had already begun.
BY the capture of Palermo the
Allies gained dominance of the Tyr
rhenian Sea, the water approach
to the western coast of Italy.
The Axis was now being COM
pressed into an area of Northeast
ern Sicily little larger than Cap
Bon where their Tunisian forces
were destroyed last May.
The main American forces. de-
spite the sweep over Western Sicily,
were about 80 miles south of San
Stefano di Camastra on the north
shore, where they could be brought
to bear on this remaining battle
line.
Connected by Highway.
San Stefano di Camastra, north
Of Emma, is connected by a ma jor
highway with the Leonforte area
northeast Of Emma.
The collapse Of the Italian front
tended to widen the breach between
the Axis partners, whose relations
have been steadily deteriorating ever
since the Allied landings in Sicily,
according to headquarters reports.
The Italians. who have consistently
complained that the Germans aban-
doned them in front line positions
| whenever the situation became
hopeless and escaped in the avail
able transport, now could be blamed
by the Germans for failing to hold
up their end
AT headquarters 1t was expected
that the greatest repercussions were
likely to result in the Balkans and
other areas policed by the Italians.
Gan Algiers radio broadcast
| said large section of the Italian
garrison had surrendered at
Palermo, including the Italian
26th DiviSion)
The total of prisoners was more
than 10000 yesterday and increasing
SO rapidly as to tax the ability of
the Allied forces to route them back
to prison camps.
dispatches from London said
the remainder of the Italian
forces defending Western Sicily
could be expected to give up
quickly in the face of the Amer
lean sweep. 1t was estimated
Axis forces there might have
totaled 100000 or more at the
start of the invasion. including
two army divisions, three coastal
divisions and many thousands of
/ other troops)
Meanwhile, heavy and medium
bombers and other warplanes main
tanned their damaging attacks on
Italy's vulnerable railroad networks
and other targets in Sicily and Sar-
dinia. Important communica ton
targets on the italian mainland thus
had been hard hit in five of the last
six days and nights.
Flying FortresseS hammered anew
at the freight yards of Foggia in
Southwestern Italy and medium
bombers smashed at similar targets
at Battapaglia and Salerno, both
south of Naples.
Light bombers also attacked Sa-
lerno Airdrome and the airfield at
Capodichino, near Naples, Wednes-
day night.
"a Axis Planes Destroyed.
| A total of "a enemy planes was
destroyed yesterday, including II
shot down in a brilliant victory by
American Warhawks in sweep over
Sardinia. The Allies lost six in the
days battles.
The Naples area was hit for the
fifth time in six days and nights
when Canadian Wellingtons flew
through bad weather Wednesday
night to score direct hits at Capo-
dichino. 1t was the third successive
night raid by the Canadians in the
Naples area. The Canadians also
bombed Salerno
RAF Bostons and Baltimores fu-
riously strafed motor transport in
the northeast corner of Sicily, where
Axis forces were being pinched. and
destroyed IS trucks at one point
and damaged 300 more in the area
of Troina a-Aderno-P aterno- Mister
bianco.
The report that the Canadians
had encountered stiff resistance in
their sector indicated that they had
begun a right wheel from the center
Of the island and had come into
contact with the 18th German Ar
mored Division holding the enemy's
flank west of Catania.
The American 7th Army up to
last midnight had captured $1,000
prisoners, $50 guns, 500 vehicles
and 10,000,O00 rounds of ammuni-
ton and destroyed "a tanks, of
which IA were Cotton Tigers.
U. s. Armor Moves Swiftly.
Italian forces in Palermo were
stunned by the swift arrival of
American armor, which had been
last reported Is miles distant
When the big port was first hit
by highly mobile forces which broke
into the outer areas and paralyzed
resistance panic was said to have
spread throughout the city. and
when the main elements came up
they met virtually no opposition.
4 a