Mediterranean Algiers Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 18, 1943, Algiers, Algiers                                Vol. I no. I of wednesday August 18, 1943 u. S. Army daily newspaper for troops in Algiers area one Francale Sicily Falls to allies americans capture Messina Marseilles airfields bombed flying forts raid French South coast victorious Cene to is unescorted planes strike nazi Keld Fields near City Allied Force head Quad fens. A i 17 in the first Naaf my Chi German occupied France. A urn Force of american flying f a tresses this afternoon heavily h imbed the Ai drome at is tres in tub and Salon both about 25 Miles Northwest of the big Mediterranean Nort of Marseilles. The by Tohir raid involved a round trip of approximately 1.000 Miles. Returning observers said that now bombs burst among parked aircraft. Several explosions and fires were seen As the heavy four motored ski Copens left the two airfields which Are near the shores of in Inland Marsh Lake. It my de Ben e repent reconnaissance had shown that a Large number of h Inkel-111 to a Ordo Carryg aircraft have the or Headquarters at shoo me-323 six motored transports Are known to use the 1st res in tub Field. Only a few enemy aircraft a me by to oppose the unescorted bombers. But considerable Fak was encountered. As the Sciban Rama Ign reached a Climax disastrous for the on my. To Cal air Force bombers were out every minute of the Day Aud night. Messina a beaches were bombed escape vessels in the Nar Row str it Between the Island and the Mainland were hunted out and subjected to furious attacks. All along the 11a1 in toe and in the West cont of rh1 Peninsula to pin tragic is disrupted As relentless Allied r i Ito in brought Pew ruin to to i axed transportation Youfes f it a the second night in a Row. Continued on Page ii the commanding generals of the victorious 15th army a roup Are shown above viewing operations in Sicily. Gen. Sir Bernard Law Montgomery commanding the British 8th army left watches with it. Gen. George s. Patton jr., commanding the is. 7th army. A photo by army pictorial service Island defense Cost nazis two divisions by get. Jack fiume a stars and stripes stall writer / with american forces approaching Messina. Aug. J 15 delayed the defense of is i oily has Cost the German High command about two divisions it want revealed in a checkup taken Here As the fall of Messina and the j end of the Island Campaign seemed imminent. No accurate count of it a a n losses can be made yet. I occupation of Sicily has Given the allies three definite tactical advantages i insured Protection of the Mediterranean sea route. 2 bottled up a Good part Gen. Eisenhower urges was to continue their Good Job Allied Force Headquarters. Aug 17�?in Plain and simple words. Gen. Dwight d. Eisenhower. Allied commander in a thief. Addressed his command of Saacs on sunday afternoon and told them How necessary they were to tile fighting ahead. Today these women soldiers were no longer a acs. They Are now was. With their auxiliary status gone forever and today they faced the g4 Dollar question of whether to go Home or enlist for the duration Quot if a single one of you goes Home its too Many a Gen. Eisenhower told the ladies in his Brief sign each. Urging them to continue the go gtd work they have done thus til. The general had just returned by plane from a conference with his senior commanders in the Forward area. A a wac often does the jobs in her particular sphere of two men a Gen. Eisenhower declared. Going directly to the question of whether a woman auxiliary should enlist in the women s army corps a should become a wac instead of a Waack tile general said a a As far As i m concerned that a just a technicality. I m too simple a Soldier to see the  the possibility of losing some of these skilled workers in High army offices became a source of concern when it was revealed that in some a a c companies in the states. 20 percent of the members had chosen to return to civilian Lite even before they had completed the training for which they had volunteered incidental to his address. Gen. Eisenhower gave the a acs a scoop. He told them flatly Mes Sina will fall tonight or  of the italian Navy in its Home bases on the coast to the Northeast of Sicily. <3 has Given the Allied air forces bases from which its fighters can reach most of Southern Italy and its fighter bum be is. A Large sector of Italy. The operations which routed the germans from their Mountain defense lines and the five Day Battle for Troina were termed Here a a the stiffest fighting for american troops since the last  the enemy launched 24 separate counterattacks in a denigrate Effort to keep the High ground which commanded the terrain East of it. Etna and controlled All Inland communications. American commanders committed five regiments of infantry and 15 battalions of artillery to the taking of the Troina Ridge line. German prisoners taken during the Battle described the artillery As a a worse than Stalingrad Quot they called it a a Zauber Feuer a meaning a a magic fire Quot one of the tactical lessons of the Campaign was the German j demonstration of masterful Retreat through the maximum use of de j Moll i ions and Miffy Fields. On the other hand the yanks showed tile enemy the value of j j Well executed amphibious warfare. J twice in Tive Days they landed in Hind the Axis lines. More than 1.000 prisoners were taken in the. Second thrust at Cape Orlando All i but too being italians. The germans burst out of this trap but not without Large losses. The americans lost a considerable. Amount of Materiel in this action tribute was paid the american continued on Page i amphibious raids feature closing phase of Battle by pvt Paul s. Loreen stars my stripes staff writer Allied Force Headquarters a. 17�?the allies today closed the books on another Success Ful Campaign with the Complete collapse of enemy resistance in Sicily. The Axis was shoved off its last Island toehold when Messina fell to triumphant troops of the american 7th army who swept through the City Early this morning. Yanks of the 3rd division had reached the outskirts at 2000 hours yesterday under cover of a he Vav artillery barrage. As British 8th army troops pushed on the East coast and joined the americans within Messina artillery from the italian a Ilia and began to Shell the City. The eagerly awarded announcement came at 2055 hours today with the issuing of this special communique a american troops Ca of ured Messina Early tills morning. Some artillery fire is being directed on the cite from the italian  a though it was officially announced that no organized resistance remains anywhere on the Island there was no immediate estimate of the number of prisoners captured or the amount of equipment taken. There was no comment on Axis reports that All enemy troops were successfully evacuated Early this morning the drama of the last hours was heightened by two new an Elbl Ous a a dings one by lie 7� h Arni v in the North and the other by British c a to Manns eight Miles so the of Messina. The whole Campaign has featured four sea raids past ten Days Earne almost exactly 38 Allied invasion forces the beaches of Southland 24 Days after ii out of Hie italian Battle rages in Kharkov difficult terrain slows soviet push London. Aug 17 the Battle of Kharkov has reached its Climax and russian troops Are overwhelming German resistance in the Northern suburbs Only a mile from the City. Front line dispatches said last night. On the South too. The soviet tide surged Forward and the army which captured chug Rev last week was reported less than j four Miles from Kharkov. In a move to protect their escape corridor Vest of Kharkov the germans Are bringing fresh reserves to the sector South of the steel Center As Well As along it he Khai Kov poltava railway i where Pierce resistance is slowing the russian Advance Westward. Continuing their Progress toward Bryansk tile red army occupied the City of a Izdra 40 Miles to the North and advanced on the entire sector East of the Central front stronghold. It was revealed Iii Moscow that Large guerilla forces have been aiding the regular russian army in the heavy forests which lie around Bryansk. In some spots the terrain which forms a natural Barrier to the a soviet offensive is said to be almost Jungle like in tenseness and thousands of swamps make the it on to used on Page 4 army approves a mail balloting Washington the army and Navy have approved plans for a mail voting by soldiers and sail ors in next years presidential election the Senate elections commit the reported social voting Days would be held in overseas army Camps and on ships in Advance of tile regular election Day. It was proposed in one Bill which or 1 Mita ballots to to counted if re j Cei Ved within two weeks after the election. All in the the a end d is after landed on pm Sicily j Duce bowed a scene. The doom of Messina was fore shadowed when the americans of a be Mcvely split the Axis forces in i half by taking Palermo on tiie North coast on july 22 the actual capture of the City was the culmination of a concerted Allied push that began after the British seizure of Catania on the East coast aug. 5. The drive was slowed Down until combined British and american troops broke through at ran Dazzo. North of of. Etna four Days ago. After that there was no holding the allies As they swept up the North and East coast roads and smashed their Way to the j beaches of Messina. The allies Are now closer than Ever before to the Mainland of i Europe. Messina Harbor being two j Miles away from Italy at the i closest Point. This indicates a con tinning artillery Duel Between Axis and Allied gunners who May i blast away at each other at will i Over the Straits. The germans remaining behind Hung on by tile Hooks of their swastikas in the Fin to moments be i continued on Page i ,