Evening star., 1943-06-11
Fall Of Fortress
Follows Great
Aerial Assault
CopituIotion Is First
In History Before
Actual Landing
BULLETIN.

AN ADVANCED UNITED
STATES FIGHTER BASE,
North Africa iP,.-Speedy
American Lightning fighters
broke up an attempt by so to
60 German dive bombers to
smash British forces landing
on Pantelleria today.
One hour after the bomb
dazed Italians surrendered,
the Nazi squadrons struck at
British naval craft pouring
thousa nds of soldiers and
numbers of tanks onto the
island.
The German Warplanes sud-
denly roared in through the
rain on the great mass of men
and ships on the sea below.
The Lightnings simultane-
ously sWarmed in and forced
the enemy aircraft to drop
their bombs haphazardly.
Il didn't see a single bomb
hit a landing party or ship.
although some fell all
around said 1t Col. R. S.
Garman of Mount Clemens.
Mich. They didn't get a lot
OF time to aim
BY the Associated Press.
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN
NORTH AFRICA, June IL
Aerial bombardment of the
greatest fury compelled the little
island fortress of Pantelleria to
surrender Internationally today,
but British troops landing under
the cover of naval guns had to
fight % minutes against scat
tered enemy defenders.
The strategic stepping stone, about
so miles from Sicily and As from
Africa, was occupied at 1922 pm.
1922 a m. Eastern war timel after
noon landing by assault forces 20
minutes after the display of white
flags on Pantelleria's hills and
white cross on its airfeld.
Several hundred Allied planes bat
tered the island Yesterday before
the surrender. THE Rome radio
said the planes totaled about 1.O0Ol
Capitulation came after the senior
Italian officer on Pantelleria sent
the following message: Beg sur
render through lack of water"
The garrison commander. it is be-
lieved, was unable to inform all his
troops of the decision to capitulate
before the actual landing began and
isolated gun posts fought on briefly.
Warships Shell Targets.
British cruisers and destrovers
hurled shells at scattered points OF
resistance as assault boats bore the
British infantrymen ashore
Blockade by air and sea and a
creeping barrage' by hundreds of
Allied bombers which laid waste the
area about Pantelleria Harbor and
town in systematic and complete
devastation reduced the enemvs de
fenSeS. London estimated 5000
were in the island garrison
1t was the first time in history
that an enemy island fortress gave
in to an air force ultima tum for
surrender. No destructive achieve
ment in the record of the German
Air Force matches this The ring of
fortified islands guarding Southern
Europe from invasion is ruptured.
The Germans opened this field of
warfare by the capture of Crete
with air-borne troops two years ago.
but this is now overshadoWed by
the Allied feat in forcing an enemy
island stronghold to surrender
through the shock of aerial bonn
bardment
Pantellerias S formal white tagged
surrender, effective once the in
fantry landed. was made primarily
to the Allied air force and before
single soldier set foot on the rocky
soil.
Troops Go Ashore.
British troops, held in readiness
for either the islands surrender or
continued resistance. were quickly
transported by Allied warships to
the newest prize
The capitulation came after 10
days OF air raids, 13 days of which
were officially termed an all-out Of
fensive, supported by series of
naval bombardments. Besides set
ting a new pattern for air warfare
in these l3 days, Allied airmen de-
stroyed 78 planes in the period while
losing IL.
The garrison commander had ig-
nored previous ultimatums. An au-
thoritative source said Allied planes
dropped three different demands for
unconditional surrender, addressed
to the garrison commander, last
Tuesday.
The knockout punch was delivered
yesterday. Allied air fleets. flying
so thickly as to create traffic prob
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