Evening star., 1943-06-23
British bomberS
In New Assault
Near Naples
Many Fires Started
In Railway Yards
At SoIerno
BY the Associated Press

Sweeping in with heavy bomb
loads less than IL hours after
American bombers had jolted the
same targets by daylight, We'll
lingtons of the Raj smashed at
Salerno Monday night in a con-
tinuation of Allied efforts to
knock out the underpinnings of
Mussolini's supply system for
Southern Italy and Sicily.
TWo-ton blockbusters were planted
squarely in the freight yards and
near barracks at Salerno, 80 miles
southeast Of Naples, and huge fires
broke out, Allied headquarters said.
Salerno is key point on the main
electric railway running southwark
from Naples to the Italian toe. The
American raid already had caused
extensive damage to the many rail-
way sidings, repair depots and ap-
proaches to the yards there, and
reconnaissance reports showed rail-
way traffic already had been inter-
rupted for "a hours by the smashing
of roundhouSeS, turntables and other
installations at other points along
the line.
No Fighters Encountered.
The Wellingtons encountered only
light anti-aircraft fire as they swept
in over their targets, and no enemy
fighters, so that all the raiders re-
turned safely to their bases.
The only other aerial activity of
the Northwest African Air Forces
yesterday was patrolling and recon-
naissance. the bulk of the hundreds
OF bombers and fighters being in
active.
But a medium sized enemy vessel.
which was caught towing half a
dozen barges 80 miles off the south
east coast of Sardinia the previous
night, was sunk by Raj Beauf1ghters
which swept through a barrage by
an escorting destroyer and tug.
The Beauflghters scored two direct
hits and the ship blew up. The
Allied airmen then attacked the
barges and destroyer, but the results
were not observed.
One Allied Plane Lost.
One Allied plane was lost in all
Of yesterdays operations, which in
cluded forays by Malta intruders
over Sicily and Southern Italy last
night when railway stations and a
factory were attacked with bombs
and machine guns.
A supplement to Malta COM
munique said Malta based plywood
Mosquito bombers also harassed
Sicilian airfields and railways last
night, especially at Sibari, Licata
and Trebisacce.
AT the same time Middle East
air communique issued in Cairo re-
ported that Raj light bombers from
that command sank a small sailing
vessel off the coast of Scarpanto Is
land in the Aegean Sea Monday.
The Wellingtons. in attacking Sa-
lerno, returned to targets hit in day
light Monday by a force of Ameri-
can twin-engined Mitchells.
tThe broadcast Italian COM
munique. acknowledging the raid
on Salerno. also said Chestelve-
trano and Milazzo in Sicily and
Olbia in Northern Sardinia had
been bombed and machine-gun-
ned. Forty-one were reported
killed and so injured at Salerno
and 5 killed and So injured
in the MeSsina Straits area.
tThe broadcast. recorded by
the Associated Press. asserted
that Italian planes had attacked
convoy off the North African
coast yesterday, sinking one
l2,000-ton ship and damaging
another of 1000 tons. A third
merchantmen was reported hit in
the Gulf of Tunisia.
Gtalian air formations, the
communique declared. bombed the
port of Bizerte and also reached
across the Eastern Mediterranean
to hit road and railway objectives
south of Jaffa in Southern Pal
eStine)
The Northwest African Air Force
announced that reconnaissance
photos showed 40 per cent of the
Italian royal arsenal was destroyed
by flames and explosions in the Fly
ing Fortress attack on Naples Mon
day.
Torpedo Factory Hit.
Other damage included at least
three direct hits On the torpedo fac
tory. severe damage to an air frame
works, several hits on the artillery
barracks and motor transport depots,
at least Is hits on the central station
and railway sidings. 10 hits on the
locomotive sheds, 2 hits on the
roundhouse, hit on the turn-table
and destruction of many freight cars
on the tracks.
At nearby Cancello the entire mo-
tor transport and stores depot was
devastated and l6 buildings were de-
stroyed, the photographs showed.
Four fires were still blazing "a hours
after the raid.
At least 40 rail cars were destroyed
or damaged by the American bomb
ing of Battipaglia, near Naples, and
there has been no movement of roll
ing stock through that railway CEN
ter on the line south to the italian
toe since the attack, headquarters
said.
Low-FIying Army Planes
Make Raid on Capital