Evening star., 1943-04-06
Is Nazi Transport Planes Trying
To Supply Romme| Shot Down
By IS. Fighters in Big Air Battle
Is Other Aircraft,
Destroyer, Small
Vessels Blasted
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN
NORTH AFRICA, April 6.-Thir-
ty-one enemy planes, 18 of them
big Junkers transports believed
bearing gasoline and supplies to
Marshal Erwin Rommel's Tuni-
sian army, were sent crashing
into the sea by American Light
nings yesterday during one OF
the greatest air battles in this
theater.
In the course of the battle. which
began with an Allied attack on a
sea convoy, an enemy destroyer was
blown up and several other ships
were hit and set ablaze, COM
munlque from Gen. Dwight D. Eisen-
hower's headquarters announced.
While land activities consisted of
intense patrol operations with no
major engagements developing, the
air war continued at fiery pace and
resulted in the shooting down of 48
German and Italian planes-the
biggest bag the Allies have scored in
single day in the Tunisian CAM
paign. The British and Americans
lost II of their aircraft.
(The German radio, in broad
cast recorded by the Associated
Press, said, however, that COM
petent Berlin quarters expected
a new mass attack" in Tunisia
in all sectors-south, central and
north.
Can important height, which
the high command declared had
been captured by the Germans,
was said in the broadcast to be
west of Kairouan in the central
sector)
Big Formation Sighted.
The heavy blow at vital Nazi air
arteries in Tunisia came when
Lightning fighters escorting medium
bombers on a sea sweep sighted an
enormous German formation of
Junkers 50 transports over tie
Slclllan Straits about Is miles north
VI 1ulllSld.
The Americans attacked and one
OF the biggest air battles ever seen
In the Mediterranean was on.
1t lasted 25 minutes.
The Lightnings sent burst after
burst of cannon fire into the big
transport formation and sent plane
after plane spinning into the sea.
Flames which burst from the planes
when they hit the water, the Amer
lean pilots said, indicated they were
laden with gasoline or oil for Rom
mel's tanks and air force. No troops
we're seen aboard the transports.
the pilots said.
Dive Bombers DOwned.
In addition to the 13 transports,
the fighters disposed of six dive
bombers and seven opposing fighters.
Capt. Darrell G. Welch of Mid
land, Tex, who shot down three of
the transports, said
I'VE saw the planes flying in a
huge W formation about SO feet
of the water. 1t looked like a
swarm of locusts. I dived in and
Knocked off the leader, then we all
went to work on them. I got three
planes in four passes"
His plane was hit 10 times as the
fighters fought so low that their
flaps sometimes SKINNED the water,
but he got back uninjured.
A Cairo communique said Naples
was ralded at dusk Sunday by bomb
ers from the 9th United States Air
Force which rekindled flames left bv
10O-Flying Fortress assault from
the Northwestern African Air Force
a few hours earlier. Other heavy
bombers from the desert smashed at
Palermo, in Sicily, scoring hits near
military buildings, the announce
ment said.
Reuters reported In London that
rescue workers still were burrowing
into the ruins of Naples last night
and said Premier Mussolini's gov