Evening star., 1943-06-15
Messina Target
In battering Of
Italian Isles
African Air Forces
Again Withhold
About Assault
BY the Associated Press.

wellington workhorses OF the
Raj drilled the East Sicilian
shipping and ferry terminal of
Messina with two-ton blockbust-
ers and showered it with incen-
diaries Sunday night, Allied
headquarters announced today,
as preliminary attacks continued
on the large islands guarding the
Tyrrhenian Sea approaches to
Italy.
For the second successive day,
however, the Northwest African Air
Forces delayed all-out assault. The
communique Of Gen. Dwight D..
Eisenhower announced that opera
tons yesterday were confined to
reconnaissance and patrolling.
"a Rome radio commentator,
in a broadcast recorded in Lon
don, told Italians to stand by for
an Allied invasion, and other
Rome and Berlin broadcasts con-
trived to give a picture Of in
tense air and sea activity in the
invasion triangle between Malta,
Bizerte and SicilyD
Lampione Taken Over.
An authoritative naval source said
British warships had visited the
italian island of Lampione, miles
west of Lampedusa, and found it
uninhabited. The island therefore
has come under the control of Allied
armed forces. The Allies already
had made clean sweep of Italian
islands Of any value in the area
South of Sicily by the capture OF
Pantelleria, Lamedusa and Linosa.
The island was not garrisoned by
the Axis and is not expected to be
garrisoned by the Allies since it Is
considered too small.
Two large fires were started in the
Messina railway and harbor target
area by the Wellingtons which fol-
lowed up heavy Sunday daylight
raid by United States Liberators,
flying from the desert. on Catania
and Gerblni in Eastern Sicily.
Only moderate antiaircraft opposi-
ton was met by the Wellingtons.
1t was announced that a further
study Of photographs taken of
La Spezia naval base in Northwest
ern Italy after the Fortress attack
Of June 5 showed a direct hit had
been scored on the forward deck of
Littorio class battleship. The
deck plates OF the 35,000-ton war
ship were buckled, the photos
showed. and the forward gun turret
was believed damaged.
Rail Stations Attacked.
Last night Malta's Mosquito
bombers made wide forays over
Sicily and the toe of Italy, bombing
and shooting up railway stations and
sidings at Licata, Termini- -Imerese
and Plume Torto in Sicily. and
starting a fire in a station. blowing
up a power station and hitting
factory in Italy, an Raj ANNOUNCE
ment said.
The war bulletin belatedly an
nounced that on June IL. the day
Pantelleria capitulated. an addi-
tional four enemy aircraft were
destroyed.
The Allies lost no planes Sunday
night or yesterday, headquarters
said.
From the Eastern Mediterranean
bases of the Middle East Air Com
mand long-range fighters of the
Raj attacked an enemy schooner in
the Aegean yesterday, scoring many
hits and leaving the vessel smoking
amidships, the Cairo war bulletin
said today.
From the Middle East big Amer
lean Liberators also scared out on
Sunday for daylight attacks on two
major Sicilian air bases-at Catania
and Gerbini-while the daylight
bombers from the North African
Command were taking their first
Sunday OF in weeks.
Meanwhile, the Allied forces are
consolidating their positions on
three captured Mediterranean out
posts-Pantelleria, Lampedusa and
Linosa.
(The italian communique said
today that Allied planes attacked
Castelveterano in Sicily yesterday
at the cost Of six planes.
(The communique, which was
broadcast from Rome and recorded
by the Associated Press, also said
that an italian submarine attacked
an Allied convoy in the western
Mediterranean yesterday, sinking
one ship of about 10000 tons and
damaging another Of the same size. }