The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-06-12
10 Enemy Ships and Othe1 Targets Hit in All-
 Day Raid AMERICANS, RAF SHELL DOCKS, GUN POSITIONS Isle Given Taste of Air Power That Reduced
 PanteIIeria
BY GEORGE PALMER

United Press staff CorrespondentJ
 Allied Headquarters, North Africa, June 12. - (UP) - Allied air fleets that con- quered the invasion stepping stone island of Pantellerla switched their onslaught to the little Italian island of Lampedusa Friday in a day and night attack that hit about 10 enemy ships and battered other targets.
 CThe AXIS radio said that Lampe- dusa had rejected an Allied demand for surrender and was continuing resistanceD
 Giving the rocky ledge of Lampe- dusa, about 100 miles off the east Tunisian coast, it's first real taste of the air power that reduced Pan telleria, American and RAF bombers dumped high explosives on docks, gun positions and shipping
 A merchantmen and more than six smaller ships were hit in one phase of the attack with bombs that ranged up to tWo-ton block busters and smoke rose 1000 feet from the scene of one explosion.
 The daylight attack on Friday was carried out by American meG- ium bombers while RAF Wellingtons followed up with nighttime on- slauqllt. Fourteen enemy planes were shot down. The Allies lost three.
 Lampedusa has been under tight blockade by the British navy and is not as strongly defended as was Pantelleria.
 (An Italian cOmmunique, broad- cast by the Rome radio, sah Allied air and naval forces have renewed attacks on Lampedusa and acSnoWl- edged that Pantelleria had surren- dered after being subjected to naval and air attacks without prec- edent.D
 The assault began yesterday af" ternoon only a few hours after Brit ish occupation troops sWarmed ashore on Pantelleria, 90 miles to the northwest, in response to a signal of surrender from the Italian gar~ rison.
 Heavy, medium ana tighter-bo CTS kept up the attack on Lanpe" dusa on crescendoing scale throughout the afternoon and last night. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhowers communique said.
 Fourteen enemy planes were shot CoWn during yesterdays operations the communique said, while three Allied planes were lost.
 Allied air armadas still were cllc- ling over Pantelleria when the order reached them by radio from Lieut.. Gen. Carl A. Spaatz, commander or the Allied air forces, to proceed to L2mpeduSa.
 GA German communique claimed that German bOmberS sank an B. 0OO-ton troop transport and 13 land- ing craft in attacks on British forces landing on Pantelleria yesterday)
 The l4-SQuare- mile Italian lslandi which lies some 85 miles of the east coast of Tunisia, offers an even more compact target than Pantel- leYia and with far fewer defenses While Premier Mussolini began to forlify Pantelleria as an Italian Gibraltar" more than seven years ago, LampeduSa was little more than penal colony up to the time Italy entered the war.
 Far outside the protective range of Italian fighters based on Sicily Lampedusa probably will collapse under the weight Of Allied aerial attack much quicker than did Pan- telleria, which surrendered after 20 days of air and sea bombardment.
 British Commandos already have tested Lampedusa's defenses in . reconnaissance raid. Put ashore last Sunday night, the Commandos re- connoitered the island and re-ern
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