Evening star., 1943-05-17
U.S.. Troops Being Landed on Attu
In Steady Stream> Japs Report;
Allies Bomb Air Base Near Rome
Attackers Meet i,
No Fighters, Little
Antiuircruft Fire
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN
NORTH AFRICA, May 17,-Al-
lied bombers roared over Rome
in bright moonlight last night
and blasted the Lido di Roma
Seaplane base at the mouth of
the Tiber Is miles southwest of
the Italian capital, it was an
nounced today.
RAF Wellingtons which carried
out the attack bombed and ma
chine-gunned the Lido di Roma
hangers, moorings and planes at
will, with no interference from
enemy fighters and almost no anti
aircraft opposition.
Bursts were seen among parked
aircraft" the communique said.
Two hangers were set afire.
No Bombs Dropped on City.
No bombs were dropped on Rome.
but the raid marked the closest
announced approach of the Allied
aerial offensive to its outskirts.
Prime Minister Churchill an
nounced September 30, 1910. he
would not hesitate to bomb Rome
If the course of the war should
render such an action convenient
and helpful" and this attitude
has been reiterated elsewhere in
high Allied quarters.
president Roosevelt last De-
cember II said a report that Pope
Plus XII had appealed to the
United States and Britain to
spare Rome from aerial bonn
bardment should be taken with a
grain of salt The 108-acre Vati-
can City, seat of the Holy See, lies
at Rome
The Italian capital expert
enced its first air-raid alert June
II, 1910, a few hours after Italy
entered the war as a partner OF
Germany, but no planes were
heard
"a Malta-based intruder plane
was reported in Valletta dis
patch March 26 to have flown low
over the suburbs of Rome and
machine gunner railway station
only a few miles from the city"
An Italian communique identified
the closest target as 81 miles
from Rome.)
Made Several Runs Over Target.
The moon was so bright at Lido
di Roma that the Wellingtons,
heavy two-engined craft. were able
to employ the tactics of daylight
fighter bombers. One Wellington
made four separate runs over the
target, the last at only $50 feet alti-
tude.
Pilots said the hangers looked
only like frameworks of twisted
steel as other raiders. after dropping
their bombs, swept in twice from
attitudes of only 100 to 500 feet to
shoot up remaining targets.
The Wellington crews said that
Rome, although we'll blacked out,
was clearly visible in the moonlight,
Anti-aircraft fire there as we'll as
at the seaplane base was scant.
Confirming report yesterday by
the Italian high command, head
quarters announced that Wellington
bombers attacked Trapani. Western
Sicilian port. Saturday night.
Bombs hit the gas works, causing
a huge explosion in the center of
town. Other bursts were observed
near the barracks to the north.
All aerial operations cost three
Allied planes.
n Axis Generals Captured.
Coastal air force patrols knocked
down two German planes, Junkers
88 bomber north of Bone, Algeria
and Junkers 50 transport en-
countered during sweeps along the
coasts of Sardinia, Sicily and South
west Italy.
Malta based planes were credited
with destruction of three other Ger
man planes, JU-88 and two JU-52s.
The tabulation of prisoners cap
tured in the final battle of Tunisia
olScloSeu ~ generals among the
captives, estimated to total about
175OO0.
1t was announced that 100 Ger
mans were captured by British naval
units with the occupation last week
of zimbra Island, in the Gulf of
Tunis 10 miles west of Cap Bon.
A short distance off the island
eight Germans and two Italian girls
who had attempted to escape to
Sicily in a small barge were picked
up. The Germans We're rowing the
barge with garden spades.
(The Italian high command
said in communique broadcast
by the Rome radio that bombs
were dropped "over the Ostia
area and there was some dam
age and some casualties. The
raiders were declared to have