Daily Post - 22.07.1943, Blaðsíða 1

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Thursday, July 22, 1943
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Allies Hold Half of Sieily
— »---
Axis Evacuates
Enna
London. — American and Canadian troops were firmly en-
trenched in the geographical center of Sicily and were command-
ing the heart of Sicily’s road and railway networks Wednesday,
only 11 days after Allied forces landed on the strategic Medi-
■terranean island.
This vital strategic position
was taken when Axis troops,
íacing encirclement, evacuted
Enna. As a result, the Allied
forces in Sicily now occupy
approximately one-half of the
entire island, which is about
one-third the size of Iceland.
At tremendous cost, the Ger-
mans still are throwing heavy
counter attacks gainst the
British Eighth army near the
outskirts of Catania. The
Battlefield south of the impor-
tant Sicilian port is strewn
with German dead, and burned
out equipment. At the same
time, the German garrisons in
and around Catania face béing
cut off from all supplies and
reinforcements. Canadian
troops have only a few miles
to march to cut the road be-
tween Catania and supply
bases in the northwest.
Meanwhile, after a lull of
several days, Allied bombers
once again turned their atten-
tion to AxiS airfields in Sar-
dinia. Five enemy planes were
shot down over Sardinia’s De-
cimemannau aii'field. On the
Italian mainland, Vivo Valen-
tia’s airdrome was hit by Lib-
erator and Halifax bombers.
The communication center of
Randozzo, north of Mount
Etna in Sicily, was blasted for
the thii'd successive day. Six
Allied planes were lost in the
last 24 hours of operations.
The northern coast of Sicily
is only about 30 miles from
Enna as the crow flies. Reports
say that the Candian troops,
which had stiff resistance to
contend with, have already
pushed on from Enna, although
the Axis have blown up bridges
and roads in an attempt to de-
lay their advance.
In the western sector, the
American Seventh Axmy, with
units of the famous French
Moroccan Ghoons, is making
rapid progress all along the
front, and before its advance
are two Italian divisions in full
flight. These two divisions are
in reality motorised, but the
Germans are reported to have
taken all their transports, and
retreated towards the north-
i
east corner of Sicily.
Allied mesages say that it
cannot yet be seen whether the
Germans hope to make a stand
in the north-eastern corner of
Sicily, or whether they intend
to get out while they can, but
Italian pri&oners believe that
the Nazis are on their way out.
Japs Train For Baid
ðn D. S., So Say Japs
Los Angeles. — Tokio radio
has reported that Japanese
student pilots are going to be-
gin a 2,000 mile flight around
Japan in order to get practice
for a raid on the United States.
The raido said the flight would
begin on July 25th, but did not
state how much further prac-
tice the students intended to
get before actually getting into
range of the enemy guns.
Is It Troe?
London. — British home
officials believe that Musso-
lini is threatening to make a
separate peace if Hitler
doesn’t send any more help
to Italy.
The fact that Hitler went
to Italy to meet his Axis
partner was considered as
evidence that the German
dictator had some favor to
ask. The British believe that
about the only favor Musso-
lini can grant is a promise
to keep Italy in the war.
Sweðish Report
On Rome Raid
London. — The Rome corre-
spondent of the Swedish news-
paper “Dagens Nyheter” has
reported that the center of the
city, and the right bank of the
Tiber, where the Vatican is
situated, are untouched. The
Italian press insists that civil-
ian targets exclusively were
bombed.
The Fascist government is
now encouraging civilians, not
essential to the war effort, to
leave Rome, which had been
considered perfectly safe. It is
doubtful, reporters say, wheth-
er Rome’s shelters are adequ-
ate for modern warfare.
Captain Balfour, British
Under Secretary for Air, stated
that, during the first 10 days of
the Allied invasion of Sicily,
216 Axis aircraft were destroy-
ed over the island. During that
time Allied losses amounted to
87.
Rnssians Only
Seven Miles.
From Orel
Moscow. — Tltgt steamr.oIlfer*-
Soviet drive has smashed ta,
within seven mi’ia, of Orehwithi
: the capture of fföéj town of Er-
molaevox.
Wednesday’sj Moscow com-
munique also röported the cap-
ture of 30 m@r*e places in the
northern secutH:. Among these
is Mtsensk, only 30 mileg up.
the. Orel-Tulk railway, and one
of the eneiuy’s main strong-
holds in the <íefeasive network
of Orel.
The captfxre ctf Mtsensk took
the Germa.ns by surprise, as
i Red Army units, filtering
througlx the Nazi lines, had vir-
tually surroynded the town,
when the Russian artillery be-
gan its heavy barrage, the
sign.-jl for the infantry’s ad-
vance. The Germans had not
even time; to blow up bridges,
or carry out other demolition
vcoyk.
The Soviet tank columns*
pushing towards the Briansli-
Orel railway, are now within
seven miles of its objective, and
only 35 miles from Briansk it-
self, which, according to the
German military commentator
Sartorius, is the real airu of the
Red Army.
Some 400 miles south of the
Orel battle-area, the Russians
have extended their bridge-
heads across the Miuss and
Donetz rivers. These opera-
tions, although described by
Russians as of local impor-
tance only, are at the same
time tending to develop into
large scale fighting.