Daily Post - 11.07.1943, Blaðsíða 1

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Sunday, July 11, 1943
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New York, July 10. — The invasion of Sicily is proceeding
according to plan”.
American, British and Canadian forces, it was reported, are
daking part in the invasion, which began at three o’clock Satur-
day moming, North African time.
The first announcement of
the invasion came when Gen-
■eral Dwight D. Eisenhower,
commander in chief of Allied
forces in North Africa, called
newspapermen to his heaa-
‘quarters and made public a
short communique which stat-
ed that the offensive was pro-
c:eeding “according to plan”.
The communique also stated
that Allied armies began the
invasion after intensive and
large scale raids on Axis in-
stallations on the island had
been carried out during the
past few days. Allied naval
forces accompanied the in-
vading forces and while the
armies were going ashore the
huge naval guns kept up a
ceaseless pounding of enemy
coastal defenses.
Allied military observers
predicted that this initial in-
vasion pf Sicily would be fol-
lowed by fierce fighting. The
small island just off the main-
land of Italy is well defended
with the Italian sixth army
stationed there. It has been re-
ported that about 100,000 Ger-
man troops are also garrisoned
on Sicily, but some sources say
that this large Nazi force is al-
most entirely attached to the
Luftwaffe.
The invasion followed a
most relentless “softening up”
process in which Allied airforc-
es attacked enemy installations
on all parts of the island. Ene-
my airfields and communica-
tions were the principal tar-
gets of attack. Resistance to
Allied air attacks have been
constantly diminishing during
the last two weeks.
Sicily is described as an ex-
tremely hilly country and all
Allied observes are generally
agreed that it will take hard
fighting to establish a bridge-
head or bridgeheads on the
strategic island.
It was reported from Axis
sources that heavy fighting is
taking place along the South-
eastern coastal area of Sicily.
The Axis air force also was re-
ported to have attempted raids
on the Allied landing parties,
but Allied planes beat them
off. The Axis reports stated
that Allied parachute troops
figured in the invasion with
ground fo'rces.
Sicily *is separated by only
two miles at the narrowest
point from the Italian main-
land.
Moscow. — Soviet reports
stated Saturday that the Ger-
mans had lost 40,000 men and
officers, 2,000 tanks and 900
planes in the first five days of
the Nazi offensive on the Rus-
sian front.
Germans Meet
Stiff Tests
In Rnssia
Moscow, July 10. — The
Germans have attempted
numerous attacks in the Byel-
gorod area and on the Kursk
salient, but the Russian de-
fenses have stiffened and there
still is no decision in the bitter
and large-scale battle along the
far flung Russo-German line.
This is the fifth day of the
mighty German offensive.
On the Eastern Front, the
opposing forces are still locked
in what is probably the great-
est tank battle of the war.
Last night’s communique
from Moscow reported that the
number of German tanks de-
stroyed since Monday, had now
passed the 2,000 mark, 193
being put out of action yester-
day nearly 100 Nazi aircraft
were also destroyed.
A reporter gives this de-
scription of a typical German
spearhead. -The tip is made up
of 20 to 30 of the great new
Tiger tanks, followed by about
twice that number of mobile
guns. Then> come great numb-
ers of older types of tanks, fol-
lowed by infantry.
To meet such a thrust, the
Russians are using a highly
mobile defence force, consist-
| ing of tanks and artillery, which
allows the German speartip to
move up unmolested, within
range, when the Russians open
up a terrific barrage. Simult-
aneously, other Soviet forces
move in from both flanks, cutt-
ing off the enemy infantry be-
hind.
Here is another view of Betty
Grable, the girl with the milli-
on dollar legs.
It’s Betty
R. A. F. Aítacks
Rubr Again
London, July 10. — Royal
Air Force bombers again at-
tacked Germany’s Ruhr valley
last níght. An air ministry
communique described the raid
as “very heavy”, with the
bombers concentrating on
Gelsenkirchen in the central
Ruhr. Ten RAF bombers are
missing from the raid.
The coal mining centre of
Gelsenkirchen was last heavily
attacked on June 25th.
This morning large forces of
Allied bombers and fighters
were seen sweeping across the
Channel, as the R.A.F. night
raiders returned from their
missions.
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