Evening star., 1943-05-27
Big Sicily Air Base
Al Comiso Raided by
Flying Fortresses
Sardinia Targets and
PonteIIerio Blasted
In New Assaults
By the Associated Press.


fenses on Sicily, Sardinia and
Pantelleria yesterday, Flying
Fortresses blasting the big Sicil-
ian air base at Comiso from sub
stratosphere height, it was an
nounced today.
Mitchell and Marauder medium
hombers at the same time swept in
to attack enemy airfelds at Ponte
Olivio. They were escorted by
Lightning fighter planes.
Bomb-loaded Lightnings and
Warhawks, both designed as fighter
planes, kept up their assaults on
Sandman targets, hitting grounded
aircraft at Villacirdro airfield and
leaving large supply vessel burn
ing at Colo Aranci.
WarhaWks again bombed the iso-
lated little island of Pantelleria.
Five Axis Planes Destroyed.
Five enemy aircraft officially were
reported destroyed in this theater
In "a hours, making total of 348
AXIS planes claimed destroyed in
eight DAYS in the air and on the
ground by the Northwest African
Air Force squadrons alone.
The actual total undoubtedly is
higher, air sources said. because no
figures have been given out since
early in the week regarding planes
destroyed on the ground.
with u planes listed by Mid
die EaSt and Malta flyers, the
total for the period runs to at
least $50 planes destroyedJ
Today's headquarters communicate
also announced that direct hits were
scored on the power station at Tirso,
In Sardinia whose power is gen.
Grated by the TirSo Dam, largest on
the island
The TasS dispatch to Moscow
from IstanbuI asserted today
that b" order of Premier Musso-
lini all civilians were being re-
moved from Sardinia and Sicily.
t"According to reports from
Rome. transports with evacuated
residents Of Sardinia are arriving
daily at Naples it said. 'EVacu-
alton of the population from
Sicily also is proceeding al
forced pace"
1T added that in CagGarl,
Southern Sardinia. preparations
were being made to blow up har-
Dor structures and piersl
Resistance Over Sicily.
The FOrtresses encountered the
only major enemy resistance over
Sicily. They shot down 3 Of so
Messerschmitt-1o zoos which intercept
ed them.
No FortrcsseS were lost. but from
all operations Of the Northwestern
African Air Forces two planes are
missing.
The eXtraordinaTT co-ordinat ton
Of Allied air power in the Mediter-
ranean was revealed by details of
two separate raids Tuesday on Mes
sina, Sicillan ferry terminal. One
was carried out by a heavy force
of Northwest African Fortresses,
while the other was made by bomb
ers from the Middle East.
Roaring through a 60-mile-an-
hour wind the FOrtreSseS dumped
heavy CarCOes Of fermentation
bombs yesterday on Comiso, starting
four or five fires and spraying steel
among dispersed aircraft.
Two GEnncrs Score Victories.
Beating of MessersChmitts which
closed in as the second Fortress
group Left the target, two eunners
were credited with a victory each.
They were staff SeTgts. Mike
Chester Z8hn Of Chicago and John
J. Mooney of Pittsburgh. A third en-
envy plane was destroyed Jointly by
Staff Sergts. Paul A Simmons o. St.
Louis and William r. Carney Of
Lakeland. Fla.
Reports Of Marauder and Mitchell
crews who blanEeted Biscari and
Ponte Oliv.o arfclds with frag-
mcntation bombs indicated that air
resources kept by the enemy in
Sicily at present arc slender.
No enemy planes attempted to
intercept either Of these raids. Fly
ers said "a few aircraft were caught
on the ground at Ponte Olivio and
wrecked.
Fighter bomber Lghtnings, aug
mentcd by WarhaWks, hammered
Sardinian targets.
large transport at Golfo Aranci
burst into flames after a direct hit
and a small boat nearby also caught
fire. Three storage tanks believed
to contain oil were ignited. Dock
SIDE buildings were shot up.
1t. Walter j, Hope of New Wind
sOr. Md destroyed an italian Cant-Z
flying boat caught on the water.
Dispersed aircraft and hangers
At Vnlacidro Airheld were hit by
bombs of other Lighnings, which
also shot up a train.
After scoring direct hits on the
Tirso power station, which supplied
a large part of Sardinia with cleo
triCity, Lightnings sped on to shoot
up Axis gun omplaCementS and small
vessels.
SSudN ) dllu SlllpE)IilS az ToItO fDllle
Romano, a harbor of Southwest Sar-
DINA, suffered from a Warhawk
sweep
Warhawks streWed augmentation
bombs on other targets in the center
of Pantelleria Island and shot up
troops and gun placements.
The coastal air force patrol shot
down one Heinkel-ll1 Tuesday
night
The italian n communique,
broadcast by the Rome radio and
recorded by the Associated Press,
acknowledged Allied air raids on
several places in Sardinia and on
Pantellcria and said seven were
killed and q injured, 1t said
eight Allied planes were shot
down, six by anti-aircraft fire
ana two by Axis fighter planes.
1talian torpedo planes which
attacked strongly escorted
Mediterranean convoy hit one
destroyer. and Axis bombers at
tackled the road and railway line