The Wilmington morning star., 1943-09-20

laIlQlIlS 41SNoo' W
| were bombers.
Sardinia's loss pushes the enc
NV air forces from the last bases
which could easily command the
vital shipping lanes.
Sardinia, 1865 miles long and IS
miles wide, is interlaced with
many good roads and, as in Sicily
and Italy, the Allies expect a cor
dial welcome from the population
of approximately 1884,, 1000 as we'll
as from the two divisions of Ital-
ian troops.
These soldiers went beyond
Badoglio's proclamation ordering
Italian forces to resist any attack
from sources other than American
and British armies and drove out
the hated German garrison.
An Allied conquest of Sardinia,
if attempted in the face of de-
termined G. erm an resistance
would have been long, Difficult
matter because the island is noun
famous and offers excellent de-
fensive advantages.
AS enemy resistance continued
to weaken in the Salerno area,
American and British troops
poured ashore in ever increasing
numbers to strengthen the already
powerful army under Clark's COM
mand.
Near the southern edge Of the
tridgehead German opposition
was reported particularly weak
and there was no indication the
Nazis would attempt a further
major stand in that area.
The German communicate listed
losses inflicted on the Allies forces
at Salerno as 10000 killed and
wounded and 4,429 prisoners. Be
tween Sept. and II, the Nazi wal
bulletin declared, German air anc
naval units sank three Allied
cruisers, two destroyers, one tor
pedo boat, IS landing boats and
nine transports of $1,000 tons. To
these unconfirmed damages t.
Allied naval forces the German!
added a British destroyer of thu
Jervis class which they claimed
was sunk yesterday.
| The German withdrawal from
Sardinia and Salerno was accom-
panied by a continued retreat o
Nazi air power under fresh pound
ing of its southernmost Italian
mainland bases by powerful for
nations from 1t. Gen. Carl A
Spaatz' Northwest African All
| forces.
Not single enemy plane wa!
seen over the Salerno battle area
yesterday and the enemy avoided
combat when American bomber:
again blasted air fields in the
Rome area on which huge mum
bers of parked aircraft were
sighted.
American fighters destroyed
several dozen enemy planes in (
swift raid on the big Foggia all
base near the Adriatic, and there
also enemy fighters failed to chal
lenge the Allied air domination.
Flying Fortresses BANKED thu
Viterbo Air Field, so miles north
west Of Rome, with bombs, scor
ing direct hits among so plane:
parked on the ground. Medium
bombers returned to Pratica D
Mare, IS miles south of Rome, ane
scored hits among between ID
and $50 grounded planes, leavinl
smoke spiralling as high as 5000
feet from burning Junkers-8
transports. Another medium for
nation attacked the Ciampino air
drome south of Rome.
American Liberators from tn,
Middle East struck again at raj
yards at Pescara. on the Adriati,
coast across from Rome, ant
blanketed tracks, engine shed
and buildings with more than $50,
0000 pounds of mombs.
Four-engined Raj raiders ais
struck at Martha in Rhodes, i,
the Dodecanese Islands again.
The Allied occupation of Alta
villa and Battipaglia was the sec
ond of the Salerno campaign
Both points were entered by ligh
Allied units soon after the initia
landings on the beaches south D
Salerno but heavy German countr
attacks supported by tanks drove
them back.
-V-