Evening star., 1943-07-12
BY IVAN H. PETERMAN,

resertinE the Combined American Press.
distributed by the Associated Press) p
ADVANCE AIR BASE, TUNISIA
July 10 Delayed was one hour
before "D-Day," but already the ad-
vanced elements of Allied invasion
the long expected assault on the
European fortress, dropped through
the night to the well-lit shores OF
Sicily. Blazing with ack-ack and
bombs, the coast sparkled from the
southern tip of Cape Passero north
ward and along the other shore to-
ward Point Bianco.
Air-borne blitzkrieg, proved or
! neighboring Crete but now perfected
by the Americans and British, had
come home to roost on the Axis
doorstep.
Riding in an American transport
plane, towing a glider filled with
English Tommies, I accompanied
the first Highland had grand
stand seat amid the fax from
which to see the opening attack.
On all sides were fires started by
explosions, our medium and heavy
bombers running screen Of inland
interference. The, fires spread as
we watched, as fires will when
there's nobody around to put them
out. Flashes on the ground some
times indicated ground fire as the
first air-borne unit struck; then
a gun would stop firing or another
beacon would 60 dark.
Enemy ulnmined Scene.
Strangest in blinking panorama
were the regularly-spaced street
lights" the defenders put up, sus-
pended star-like for as much as Is
minutes, rejecting from the water
on the beaches. They extended
for miles as searchlights probed
between them, like a policeman's
/ torch seeking intruders. 1t was
like an offshore view of an Ameri-
can seaside city, before the dimout
Crouched at window in the
squadron leaders ship, watched
the planes and their 'trailers'
climb to desired altitude ,and saw
the gliders cast off. Behind us, fiat
to the Mediterranean as they
crossed from the African mainland
"a perfect formation which flew
out of a red setting sun and streakee
home into a hazy moon-scores o.
the United States troop carrier
commands big transports brough
American paratroopers to the oppo'
site coast. We would be passing
them on the return flight.
Most of the planes were Ameri
can with American crews, but ther,
were a few RAF aircraft mixed in
Paratroopers rode in the transports
weapons strapped to their sides ant
"chuting" with them. The British
rode the gliders with English pilots
eager, laughing Tommies who coult
not wait to land on Mussolini'
acres. They were the spearhead
and the American troop carrier pi
lots, long bored with the humdrun
hauling jobs of warfare, were tow
ing that spearhead in. This wa
the big parade.
The German invasion of Cret
was nothing like it. The Nazi
poured troops indiscriminately upol
that island without regard to losses
This was timed to the minute, per
fectly planned, brilliantly executed
OF all the ships engaged in tn
pooled transport and striking force
only a very small percentage wer
missing that first night. Some o
them may yet report.
Italian Fire Wild.
Drifting noiselessly to earth, tn
glider boys rallied and went to work
Theirs was the job of seizing
beachhead, striking the enemy from
flank and rear, cutting communi
cations and causing general con
sternation. could sense it ther
in the plane as the first ones landed
the sudden darkening of lights, an
cessation of antiaircraft fire in Ger
tain spots.
1t was weird and exciting. To tn
right just 3 miles away the skie
we're red with ack-ack. AS always
the Italians were firing furiousl
into the air, hoping to hit somebody
1t was exactly l1:22 pm, NortI
African time, when I heard Ma,
Leonard Barrow speak into the in
terplane phone: Calling glider
calling Are you ready? re
peat, are you ready? We are castin
of ;" Then, before releasing tn
3O0-foot towline, the major, VIII
could fly a barndoor II 1t had al
engine, added: "And lots of luck
fellows"
I jumped on the navigator's tabl
!; and looked through the blister atol
the Helen B. For moment tn
; glider seemed to follow, then 1t
wings dipped and 1t slipped towar'
!. Sicily-its cargo of Britons brace'
, and ready. Americans were comm
the same way a few miles on.
''FIak" Missed Gliders.
Right and left 1t looked as If "
were on top Of Dente's inferno. tn