Evening star., 1943-07-11
BY the Associated Press.

eastern coastal stretch. This, how
ever, does not mean that the enemy
is actually concentrating his at
tacks against this sector of Sicily.
In fact, it is quite possible that
further and stronger landing at
tempts will be made presently
against other parts of the island"
Col. Sertorius, differing somewhat
from other Berlin commentators,
said there was no tendency on the
part of German military circles to
underestimate the Importance of the
Allied thrust.
The enemy has many usefu!
bases at his disposal in North
Africa" he said, while the enemy
navy is holding supremacy in the
Mediterranean. Allied Air Force
formations, although having suf-
fered heavy losses lately, are prob
ably still numerically superior to
the Axis Air Force in the Mediter-
ranean.
Furthermore, it seems that
Anglo-Saxon troops concentrated
in North Africa and the Near East
are strong enough to permit simul-
taneous offensive operations against
other points of the European
southern front"
High Command Reserved.
In additional broadcasts. recorded
by the Associated Press. Berlin told
the German people that "consid-
cradle forces" Of the Allies landed
in the southeastern part of Sicily
with "the support Of strong naval
and air force formations"
The German high command was
even less informative. It's COM
munique said merely: "On the
night of July 9, the enemy. with
the support of strong naval and
air forces began an attack on Sicily.
The enemy Immediately encoun-
tered strong defenses on the ground
and in the air. Fighting is still
progressing.
Not until pm. fRome time)
we're the Italian people told that
the triangular island just off the
toe of their mainland had been in
vaded
Then the Rome radio broadcast
a brief communique saying only
that violent fighting" was in prog
ress in Southeast Sicily after an
Allied attack by air forces and para
chute troops supported by naval
units.
Swiss dispatches. meanwhile told
of stories appearing in German
newspapers which hinted that all
of the italian islands were marked
for assault
Stress Transport Facilities.
Papers appearing before the first
announcement of the Sicilian land
ing expressed a belief that the AL
lies. instead of making a large
scale invasion Of Europe, would con-
centrate this summer on smaller
targets, especially the Mediterranean
islands.
AS If to present an alibi far in
advance in case the islands are lost,
the newspapers added that the Axis
was confident of German and Ital-
ian defenses-''if fighting on the
mainland is not again thrown onto
an endangered sea connection as
was the case in North Africa
The Berlin correspondent of the
Neue Zuercher Zeitung wrote that
the Germans are confident they can
equal the Allies providing they have
normal transport facilities for sup
ply lines"
Berlin broadcasts went on
throughout the day, giving few de-
tails, if any, about the invasion,
but using thousands of words to
tell of events in the Mediterranean
and on Sicily itself in recent days.
Writer Ignores Invasion.
At least two broadcasts, hours
after the announcement of the in
vasion. quoted dispatches from
Guenther Weber, correspondent
of the Transocean Propaganda
Agency, who made virtually no
mention of Allied landings although
he wrote from Sicily where he was
said to have gone several days
ago.
Instead, Weber's dispatches told
of the welcome which the islands
inhabitants gave German motorized
detachments and tank formations
and of the defense plans worked
out jointly by the German and
italian staffS.
THE people everywhere demon
strated that they are looking for
ward with confidence into the future
and that they are convinced of the
certain failure Of the enemy's inva-
sion attempts" Weber was quoted
as writing. They do not disguise
their hatred of the enemy, caused
by his terror attacks on their villages
and towns"
Most of the broadcasts emphasized
that the Allied landing lin no way
came as surprise to Axis troops"