The Charleston Daily Mail
C H A R L E S T O N , WEST V I R G I N I A , S U N D A Y M O R N I N G , APRIL 1 1 , 1 9 4 3
Yanks Down 27 Planes Off Sicily;
Nazis Pressed Into 168-Mile Trap
No U.S. Fighters Lost
In Stunning Triumph
German Crews Jump Without Fight
As Aid Flight to Rommel Is Cut Off
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS. North Africa (UP).—United
States Lightning fighter plane pilots scored one of their greatest
triumphs of the war today when they shot down 27 Italian and
German aircraft including 18 Junkers transports, in a 15-minute
battle over the Sicilian narrows between Sicily and Tunis.
The Yanks, flying speedy twin-motored Lightnings, sailed into
I a n enemy formation of 30 to 50 planes at 7:45 a. m. and every
American .shot down or damaged an enemy ship. No American
planes were lost.
It. was ihe second time this week the Americans had tangled with
such a huge force of enemy trans port planes presumably flying des-
perately needed supplies to Field; Marshal Erwin Rommel's Tunisian
armies. On Monday, in the same; general area, the. Lightnings also
bagged 18 big Junkers transports.
Most, of which were believed carrying fuel for Rommel's tanks. and
shot down 13 of their escort planes.
Flee North
To Prepare
Final Stand
Defenses Crumble
Under Swift Blows
As Allies Race On
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS,
North Africa (UP).—Marshal
Erwin Rommels shattered Afrika Korps falling back before
striking A l l i e d armies, prepared Saturday for
a final stand in the Tunis-Bizerte sector 'as the Allies'
trapped the enemy inside a coastal box about 168 miles long
and from 30 to 72 miles wide. This area is shorter than from
New York to Boston and narrower than from New York lo Philadelphia,
and is constantly being squeezed. The greatest 'pressure
was against the south end of the box as the eighth army rolled up
the coast through Mahares, where it. encountered some resistance, and
through Sfax, which had been bombed furiously by Allied planes.
Allied armies struck rapidly through crumbling Axis defense
lines to close in on the last German bridgehead in North Africa
as Rommel sought, to join the forces under Nazi Gen. Jurgen. von
Arnim.
Forts Bomb
2 Warships
Doolittles Armada
Raids Sardinia Base
Fying Forts Get Direct Hits
on Heavy Warcraft in •
Italian Naval Base.
Allied Headquarters, North
Africa —(UP)— One of the largest concentrations of Flying'
Fortresses ever in action attacked the Italian naval base
at La Maddalena, Sardinia, Saturday blasting the heavy
cruisers 'Trieste and Gorizia so heavily that they were expected
to be immobilized for some time. Sweeping up from north Africa
in strong force without^ fighter escort, the fortresses dropped a
pulverizing rain of bombs on the naval base, in addition to scoring
crippling hits on the 10,000-ton cruisers.
All the fortresses returned safely from the raid.
Details of the attack were Sketchy pending a; study of aerial
photographs, .but Fortress crewmen were confident that" tne cruisers
would be out of action at least during the remainder of the north African
campaign and probably much longer.
Maj. Gen. James H. Doolittle, commander of the northwest African
air force, commanded the Fortresses in the daylight attack
on the Maddalena base.
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