Evening star., 1943-12-03


creasingly saw Thomas R. Henry.
age efforts at the guerrilla forces
and the constant threat of invasion
by Allied armies.
The men of Gen. Ridenour's
forces refer to this scampaign as
'our private war since they are
the only American troops actively
engaged in this particular sector of
the cracking wall around Axis
dominated Europe.
For year now, they have been
heralds of doom to Hitler's forces.
Last spring they had their private
war" in Tunisia, materially soften
ing the defenSeS in preparation for
the final push which ended in tho
elimination of the Africa korps and
the close of this phase of the war
Then, while the United States di-
visions in Africa were being rested
and re-equipped for the next cam
paign and the world wondered where
the blow would be struck, the Amer
lean bombers kept on day after day
with their attacks ON Sicily and
Sardinia. The result was that the
Axis air force was practically elimi-
anted from these islands before
Allied troops landed on Sicilian
beaches July TO-
Then part Of the force moved
from Africa to Sicily and was a ma
terial factor in making possible the
Allied landings. The next move vas
the shift to eastern Italy with re-
ports that, as the efforts to Greek
JueoSlav and Albanian guerrillas be-
came more open and ferocious, Ger
many was trying to reinforce its
Balkan garrisons with both troops
and munitions. They have made
this, at the best, costly business.
Most of the country is Wild and
mountainous There are few trunk
highways and railroad lines which
the Germans must follow to get men
and supplies to the key Balkan
cities. Day after day the American
bombers with their fighter escorts
are pounding at these roads and
railroads. as well as the rail centers.
supply depots and motor conveys.
All the experience in this type of
warfare gained in Africa, Sicily and
Italy is being applied by Gen. Ride
nour's bomber and fighter pilots in
TINS new theater of operations.
Their efforts have been a material
factor in recent victories of the Pa
trlot forces who appear to be fairly
well armed and to be fighting with
growing confidence.
A colorful element in this new air
campaign is the presence of Italian
plane and pilots cooperating with
the American Air Forces. Thus far
there has been relatively little
fighter opposition over the Balkan
Mountains but the planes run into
flax above the strategic cities. There
is no indication that GERMANY in
tends to sell this corner of Europe
cheaply.
Gen. Ridenour himself air vet
eran Of the last war. leads some CT
the forays and the other day got a
slight flax wound in the left leg
while over the Larissa Airfeld. He
has recovered.
Aerial photos show that the de-
struction has been widespread at
strategic points. At the Salonika
Elousis and Larissa airdromes hang
ers now display gaping holes and
the landing grounds are full of
carriers. At their debut in Albania.
at Tlrana, on October 13 the Amer
lean bombers no tonly scored direct
hits on numerous parked aircraft
but left repair sheds, barracks, stores
and depotS in flames.
Nazi shipping has suffered from
the P-38s. They have sunk a $50 /
foot merchant vessel in Corfu Har-
Dor and scored near misses on a |
600o-ton merchant ship and liner
In Koter Harbor. A medium mer-
chant vessel in Levkas Harbor was
the recipient of a direct hit and
eight near misses.
The introduction of the bomber
command to Yugoslavia in an attack
on the KEY Skoplje marshalline
yards on October 18 illustrates what
is meant by modern air offensive.
The Mitchells and their LIGHTNING
escorts about covered the yards, and
scored direct hits on the locomotive
repair shops, sheds, buildings, trains
and lumber yards. P-38s dive
bombed the nearby signal station
and scored hits among the rolling
stock. Returning from their mis-
sion, they informed their headquar-