Evening star., 1943-07-12
Axis Chiefs Anxious
Over Possibility Of
Other Allied Blows
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
BERN, July 12.-The entire
fortress Of Europe was on the
alert today for new Allied
thrusts as Axis leaders In Ger
many and Italy anxiously
watched the progress Of the bat
tie for Sicily.
Dispatches reaching here today
from Berlin and Rome conceded
that the Allies had established at
least four bridgeheads In Sicily and
looked ahead glumly to q day not
far distant when invasion barges
may CRATE on other Mediterranean
shores.
OF the two Axis capitals Berlin
took the news Of the invasion
more calmly, pointing out that It
had long been expected and declar-
ing that advance Allied parachutists
and airborne units had been anniht-
lated or surrounded and captured.
There was mounting tension in
Rome and on the mainland OF Italy.
Italian Cabinet Meets.
One dispatch from Milan said
Premier Mussolini and King Victor
Emmanuel had made q point OF
being seen publicly in Rome where
the "atmosphere is heavy" and pri-
vate sources revealed that Musso-
lini had presided over a cabinet
meeting yesterday.
It was also reported that there
had been further expulsions in the
Fascist Party in an effort to bolster
crumbling morale and that Italian
newspapers were enlisted in a cam
paign to whip up enthusiasm for
the fighting ahead.
(The London Daily Mail report
ed that Mussolini had appealed
to the King to address the Ital-
ian people in an effort to ease the
tension which followed reports of
the Sicilian invasion.
Nondon advices also said many
arrests had occurred in Naples,
where Alfred Cucco. vice secre-
tary of the Fascist party, br lad
cast an appeal to Sicilians and
Italians. 1t was said that sharp
measures were to be used to sup
press rumors, speculation and de-
featism)
Food Problem Grows.
Another factor which appeared tc
weigh heavily in depressing the
Italian state Of mind as the crisis
approached was a steadily worsen-
ing food problem. brought about by
the relentless Allied air attacks or
Italian railroads.
II Giornale d'Italia pointed out thai
for more than a month American
and British Air Forces have con.
centrated on railway lines in botf
| Sicily and Sardinia and on ths
mainland. There was no indication
of how many trains had beer
smashed, but the newspaper sale
! 1872 trainmen have been killed anc
34l others wounded.
The Courier de Geneve said ther.
seemed to be no lack of fruit anc
vegetables in the producing area
Of italy, but that because Of tn.
serious transport ditnculty" there
was no way to get them from ths
farms to the metropolitan areas.
The Germans also were well awar,
that on the transportation situa'
ton might well hinge the fate O
{ the Axis. A Berlin dispatch to th'
Neue Zuercher Zeitung quoted Naz
military circles as being "conflden
| of the Axis troops ability to con.
front the Allied forces provided they
have normal facilities for supply
lines"
Railroads Overtaxed.
There was ample evidence, how
ever, that the Italian railroad sys.
tem-a long, delicate spinal column
linking the agricultural areas o.
the south to the industrial north
could not handle the normal need!
Of the civilian population, much les.
bear the added strain which thu
Sicilian invasion has imposed on it
The colonel of a Swiss division
pointed out that in addition t.
army and civilian supply lines tht
Italian coastal routes also bore {
heavy share of the burden of de-
fense against invasion. Italian de-
fenses, he explained, included {
number of armored trains equipped
with long-range naval and anti.
aircraft guns which can be shuttlee
up and down the coast to make ur
in part for the inadequacies of ths
navy. These, he said, were depend.
ent on maintenance by the already
| harassed railways.
While private sources, in Italy
said the Italians had accused Ger.
| xaanx, Of foill1ra To Sand reSeruns tf