Evening star., 1944-03-15
Italy
Continued From First Page.)

Then B-26 Marauders swarmed over
the town.
Never before had such air power
hit an objective in support Of ground
troops, and few other air operations
are comparable to this.
For precedents to today's all-out
bombing, Air Force officers recalled
the operations of the Tactical Air
Force in North Africa, then COM
manded by Air Marshal Sir Arthur
Coningham, to bring about the
breakthrough for Allied forces ad-
vancing on Tunis and Bizerte in
May, 1943. At the peak of this
attack more than 1000 sorties were
flown from dusk May to dusk
May 6.
A vast number of sorties also
were flown in last June's aerial con-
quest of Pantelleria, but the CAM
paign against that Italian island
differed from the assault on Casino
IN that 1t was directed mainly at
gun positions without involving any
sizable ground force, and it con-
tinued for several days.
Over Italy itself on the peak day
OF the Allied air attack on the
Salerno beachhead last September
IA, more than 1900 sorties were
flown.
First returning flyers reported
they had not seen more than three
German fighters and phrases like
milk run" and practice mission"
began to circulate around the air
fields.
"The escort was creative never
were alone the whole trip" one
flyer remarked.
Prior to the announcement of the
Casino assault, headquarters re-
ported that Allied forces on the
beachhead had improved their posi-
tons south Of Carroceto after wip-
ing out German pocket of re-
Sistance.
The attack was made by British
troops. who at last reports still were
up the enemy In the area,
headquarters said In an adjacent
region other British troops tested
the German positions and brisk
fighting followed, but no ground
changed hands.
Allied assumption of an offensive
role in the valley south of Carroceto
came as bright sunshine replaced
bad weather, but the ground still
was soggy. Elsewhere along the
perimeter of the beachhead there
was active patrolling by American
and British troops and harassing
artillery fire.
The Germans nave been observed
regrouping around the beachhead
for the last week and they had been
expected to launch a fourth offen-
sive, but so far this has not ma
terialized.
Airforce headquarters said pho
tographs showed that 100 railroad
cars were destroyed or damaged in
yesterdays Marauder raid against
the Prenestina rail yards in Rome
the eighth attack on the Eternal
City.
(CBS quoted an Allied head
quarters announcement as say
ing large stretches of track were
torn up and chemical plant and
warehouses were hit.)
The raid was coupled with
Mitchell attacks on railyards at
Orte and Terni, north Of Rome, and
assaults on Piombino and Marina di
Pisa harbors by medium bombers of
the coastal airforce. Fighter bomb
ers again attacked Montalto di Cas-
tro, cutting the main west coast rail
line and setting fire to the station.
-Four enemy planes were destroyed
during the day against loss of one
Allied craft.
German planes raided Naples
early today, dropping flares which
brightly Illuminated the city and its
water front with an eerie orange
glow which was reflected as far away
as the slopes of Vesuvius. Anti
aircraft batteries sent up a heavy
curtain of fire.
Warhawks bombed German gun
positions northwest of Cisterna and
south of Littoria.
Spitflres over the Yugoslav coast
hit small ship in Rogoznica Harbor
and shot down Messerschmitt off
the Italian east coast. Raj Bostons
made night attacks on rail and road
traffic at Ciste1la and Terracina.
Thunderbolts dive bombed the sta
tion and yards at Fara Sabina, IS
miles north of Rome. Two of three
attacking Focke-Wulfs were shot
down. Bostons again bombed Ger
man tank repair shops at Tivoh.
Mrs EVELYN Holman lias.