Evening star., 1943-07-18
Allied Air Forces Win
Complete Mastery Of
Skies Over Sicily


POST IN NORTH AFRICA, July
17.-Since the zero hour last week
when they swept across in un-
counted hundreds to spearhead the
invasion, Allied planes have been
over embattled Sicily every minute
OF the day and night.
In that time they have won COM
plete mastery of the Sicilian skies
air supremacy as great or greater
than that held by the Nazis when
they operated over Poland, Greece
and Crete.
The combined American, British.
Canadian and South African Air
Forces have shot down 1853 enemy
planes in aerial combat and de-
stroyed hundreds of others on the
ground. Their own losses totaled SO.
A general officer affirmed today that
the enemy air force in the Mediter-
ranean now was "hopelessly out
numbered"
Achieved Objectives.
During the first week our airmen
had three objectives: To hunt out
and destroy the enemys force, to
provide cover and support for Allied
land forces and to hit the enemy's
relnforcements IN punches before
they could reach the front. Their
present ability to range over the
island at will is a yardstick of their
success
Spitf1res, Warhawks, Lightnings
and Boston attack bombers pro-
vided almost 100 per cent protection
for ground troops, patrolling around
the clock. The largest group of
enemy fighters to challenge them
40 planes-was broken up within a
few minutes and sent running home,
In the last three days only
handful of Axis craft have been
seen, and they did not attempt to
fight. Sicily's air defense was de-
scribed as "pitiful' by one veteran
flyer
Raj service Commands and ad-
vance American units went ashore
on Sicily with the ground troops to
put captured airields in condition
for quick use. Allied fighters laoded
on the island the first day OF the
invasion and began operating from
it on the second.
Smashed Convoy.
Allied fighter bombers have
ranged far and wide on strafinR
missions after dumping their bombs.
In one instance Mustang A-36c
caught 1000 enemy ground troops
marching in column, and in another
they smashed half of convoy of
200 trucks on the road.
Even the highways through
Sicily'S deep gorges have not been
safe for enemy transport. Allied
flight leaders heroically dived alone
to shoot up columns and to see if
gorges were wide enough for planes
to pass through. If they lived, their
teammates followed them.
THESE planes also developed a new
convoy and bridgebusting technique.
knocking out the trucks first and
then blasting bridges fore and aft
to bottle them up.
At night Bostons, Baltimores and
flown by Americans and
South Africans criss-crossed the is
land as intruder raiders flving
low to search valleys and wadis for
any signs OF enemy activity.
Wellingtons Were Active.
The night flyers were supple
nented by one of the biggest for
nations of RAF Wellington bomb
rs ever to leave the Africa coast.
They participated in the initial at
ack, striking deep into Sicily
against airfelds, key highways, rail-
ways and strong points while Allied
roops were landing on the beaches.
Frequently. in their merciless at
acks on some 20 of Sicily's main
ities and towns. Allied day raiders
'ropped hundreds of incendiaries to
'uide their night-fying comrades
o the targets. ;
Beauf1ghters, Bostons, Lightnings ;
md A36s formed the Allied spear ;
head behind the enemy's lines, run ,
hing virtual shuttle service to the
sland il search Of targets of op-
At the end OF The sew
nth day their scoreboard showed
hey had destroyed at least 800 .
enemy trucks and vehicles, many of
mem armored; l3 locomotives, 40
'allroad cars. a dozen tanks of all {
lzeS and at least IL ships destroyed !
)r damaged s
Torpedo carrying beaufghte:s and
of the coastal command
played an important part in the
weeks operations, sinking as much
rs 10000 tons of enemy shipping in
me l2-hour period. Among their
'ictims were two destroyers which !.
we're left III flames.
Reconnaissance planes, principally
and A-36s. operated so
Efficiently on invasion morning that
they took were being
lsed to select fighter and bomber {
argets so minutes after our troops s
lit the beaches of Sicily. l