Evening star., 1943-07-09
CoIoqne Is Roided 10th Time;
Allies Batter Sicily Again

heavy bombers the preceding night
A United States communique pic
tured the destruction:
Freight Station Fired.
Many hits were observed on the
vicinity OF the telephone and tele-
graph buildings, while other bombs
fell in the railroad 'marshaling
yards. The railway tracks were COM
pletely covered by bursts. The GEN.
trail railroad station was hit and set
aflre, as were also the freight depot
and large warehouse. An enor-
nous fire was started among Oil
storage tanks and the whole indus
trial area was solidly covered by
bursts" Eight enemy fighters were
destroyed in this action and Ave
others were damaged, four probably
fatally, it was announced.
The Italian high command
said in a Rome broadcast COM
munique that 81 persons were
killed and 209 injured at Ca
tania in repeated raids which
ruined buildings and started fires
in the heart of the city. 1t de-
clared 26 raiders were shot down
over Sicily9
Belatedly, Cairo authorities also
announced that 9Th Air Force Lib
orators also had broken landing
surfaces. started fires and damaged
grounded planes in attacks Wednes-
day on air fields about Gerbini.
which have been the targets OF fire.
quent raids from Northwest Africa.
Malta Force Active.
Malta based Spitfires of the Raj
assisted in escorting American
bombers over Sicily, shot down three
fighters of German formation
which was attempting to land at
Comiso and then turned their guns
upon the field, already marked by
the wrecks of burned out or dam
aged planes.
Enemy opposition was scattered.
Some crews reported meeting fairly
strong forces. Others said they saw
no Axis fighters.
This indicates the Allies have won
almost complete mastery of the air
over Sicily. Their numbers and
the scope of the attacks are too
vast for the enemy to meet them in
strength at all points.
The air fields of Gerbini were
attacked repeatedly by Fortresses.
Mitchells, Marauders, Bostons and
Baltimores of 1t. Gen. Carl A.
Spatts' command in a saturation-
type assault.
Schooner Is Sunk.
The Fortresses encountered be-
tween Is and 20 fighters on one raid
and a group of Baltimores and Bos-
tons met nearly 40 later in the
day, but the opposition was brushed
aside.
Mitchells, Bostons and Baltimores
co-operated with 9th Air Force Lib
orators in the attacks upon Catania
and also raided Comiso and Sciacca.
Lightnings swooped on an Axis
schooner offshore and sank her with
gunfire
Mitchells returning to Comiso for
the sixth time in six days found
nine huge fires raging there as a re-
suit of an assault by South African
Bostons and Baltimores, which had
just left.
Another group of Mitchells had a
similar experience at Biscari Airf1eld
where they found fires still blazing
in administration buildings. They
blasted the buildings again and laid
four neat patterns of bombs across
the airfield and nearby installations.
Messerschmitts Shot Down.
Night-flying Raj Bostons went in
over Sciacca and when they left
Baltimores, Bostons and Warhawks
replaced them. They reported sight
ing big explosion In an olive grove
near the field, causing belief that
ammunition or gasoline had been
hit.
approximately 40 fighters, the
majority of them Messerschmitts,
engaged the Warhawks, which shot
down three.
Three Allied merchantmen total
ing 10000 tons were reported to have
been sunk by Axis torpedo planes
operating off the North African
Coast, and fourth, of 5000 tons,
was declared heavily damaged.
These claims were without confirm
alton from Allied sources.