Mediterranean Algiers Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 19, 1943, Algiers, Algiers                                Pm so 4 i he 1> i aks and St Hipes daily Soldier vote meets fight Creen Senate Bill Coes to committee Washington. Aug. 18 com Gressional opposition appears to be developing to pending legislation that would permit soldiers and tailors to Vole by mail in 1944 even though they Are not registered in their Home states. The same argument used in the recent successful fight against Hie anti poll tax Bill that the Bill is unconstitutional in that it interferes with a state s rights to determine the voting qualifications of its Cit Biens has been raised by several congressmen it was reported privately Here. Son Theodore f. Green Rhode Island Democrat who sponsored the Green Lucas Bill to permit such voting in the upper House said he believed his proposed legislation was constitutional since it fixed voting conditions newsmen scooped on Sicily Story Allied Force headquarter is. Aug. 18 press correspondents. Through no fault of their own. Were scooped on their own Story yesterday when the British broadcasting corporation an pounced the fall of Sicily from London three hours before reporters were permitted to Send their stories. Tile evening found the correspondents sitting glumly around the press room Reading the 1800 hic newscast with the first details of the end of the Campaign. Just before 2100 hours the news that was no longer news was officially released Here. Troops welcomed continued from Page it headed the Tita 11 setting qualifications. Now under consideration Neeley. Lubbock Tex Headquarters group. Following close was the third battalion of the 45th division and the rest of the 3rd division. At 9 45 am the Sherman tanks swept Rattler last tile sweat soaked rough foots i to Rush into town to do the cleanup Job on enemy resistance. But there was no enemy resistance. There was no Jerry action at All that morning until la am when the Boche big guns drop died a few shells in tile town s outskirts killing a few civilians and causing no other damage. Only other signs of enemy existence two Miles across the water was the bursts of flak it vainly threw up against attacking Allied planes in the Early morning hours by the Senate Clee ions committee headed by senator Green the Bill would co inflict with the election Laws of several states which do not i it or unit Absentee voting at any time. More states that do permit Absents voting require the voter to i legally registered in person in his Home slate. The Green Lucas Bill would Jer Mil ail military and naval Lier son be i eligible to Register in their Home slates to vote Atter taking an oath of eligibility in the presence of a commissioned officer. The Large number of soldiers inducted before they were 21 or soon after they reached that age never registered for elections at Home and would be barred from easting Absentee ballots under the present Laws in most states. Many other soldiers permitted their registration to lapse under certain Laws requiring periodic re registry Bridge blowing Hon. Congratulations on the occasion of the Victory in Sicily Gen. Dwight d. Eisenhower Allied commander in Chiet in North Africa sent the following messages of congratulations yesterday to the chiefs of the land air and sea forces under his command to Gen. Sir Harold r. L. G. Alexander. Deputy commander i ii chief a a with the sicilian Campaign at an end. I have the a pay Unity. Once again to express to you Mya Lunation of in  my services you continue to Render to we easier i you of my a personal thanks for always making my a a Hope you will extend to generals Montgomery and Patton and to the magnificent troops serving under them drive graduations for their Energy determination and aggressiveness in l ing Hie enemy out of Sicily. With such sol teis As i Forward with Confidence to the future a i to air chief marshal sir Arthur w. Tedder. Hief of the m ran"witahrtheozla0nfdiiciiy. I have the Opportunity once again to congratulate you upon your leadership and ii Ion till a a Chrenc Voul Allied air Force of this theater. My personal thai is a e due i it spirit of cooperation which has always made my Owr t i request that you pass on to All of your principal the the forces they control my congratulations and commend at urns for very important part they have played in the reduction of stronghold i speak for both the Allied Navy and ground forces pressing our Pride in the great organization that you head to Admiral sir Andrew Browne Annm he. Allied naval pm Mander in chief in the Mediterranean a in a a with the last German driven out of Sicily. I cannot t i expressing to you once again my very great alienation for the in if cent Way in w hich you and All tile Allied forces under not Gnu command have carried your part of the Burden. I Hope you a. Convey to admirals Hewitt. Willis. Ramsey and to the vice Admiral ii Malta As Well As All forces serving under them my own personal thanks for their magnificent performance. In these expressions of a Preci it Ion the Allied air and ground Force of this theater arc proud to join a thursday August 19, 1943 j bombs Rake foes escape Peninsula s toe is heavily bombarded Eisenhower hails i continued from Page ii it a ii los i Howd egad All night Long the Road to Messina wan a crowded Convoy of All kinds of vehicles moving Forward slowly under tile floodlight of a full fat Moon. Throughout it All engineers were smoothing out quickly made bypasses around blown up Bridges. The Heinie done a thorough Job. When he not pressed for time. But in final Day with the yanks the the tile had w As the racing Forward fast was the Aerial strikes Blitz japs Washington. Aug. 18�?in a mass attack on a heavy concentration of enemy air groups Iii the weak aria of new Guinea More than 225 Jap planes and their Crews were caught on the ground and the greater part of the Force destroyed. Allied Pantie Headquarters announced in today a Diers stretched communique. Approximate 120 enemy planes were destroyed and it w As estimated tint 1,500 enemy personnel were killed. Only three Allied planes fared to return from the raid which was described by one flyer As Quot a fish shooting  american reconnaissance revealed that the enemy had moved heavy reinforcements to his four airfields in this area. Many of the planes were parked wingtip to nazi Sloppy his mine laying stopped completely. That last stretch had been Small scale rearguard stuff throughout. Occasionally a big gun from a High ground far away would throw in some i harassing fire or a machine gun Crew would i Park itself at tile Edge of town to hold Back the recon elements for a Short while. They never did hold i us up Long. Outside of Spadaforo there was Little evidence left of a nazi machine gun Crew where one of our 75�?Ts landed a direct hit. After passing the Crossroads the War litter of unburied German dead and knocked out vehicle after vehicle formed part of the pattern that included american sol out on the ground catching a few Short Quot snoozes before they would to awakened for the Long walk in. Among the first few in was maj. Grover Wilson. Pullman wash., on a special Mission to Hunt up the military and civil leaders of Messina and bring them Back to chief of Saff for conference. The fascist civil leaders had skipped town but tile major did come Back wit ii the italian general complacently chewing gum. Looking very much wingtip on the runways apparently unconcerned. In preparation for Early decisive action. Acting instantly Allied air units concentrated for a night attack the Surprise was Complete. More than 10.000 fragmentation and incendiary bombs caused wide havoc in and around the Ai drome and dispersal area and the whole Peninsula was encompassed by flames visible for 150 Miles. The attack w As continued throughout the morning by attack bombers and fighters at Iowa Altitude while enemy pilots frantically tried to take the air. They were burned with their planes the announcement said Amox officer not too much later the senior civil affairs officer and head of american a moot came into town to set up immediately. About la am of. Gen. George s. Patton or. 7th army commanding general. Came into the City with his staff on an inspection tour. The most extraordinary thing about tile closing curtain of the Sicily show was to look across the Harbor at Italy Only two Miles away quiet and threatening. It looked like the Palisades in new Jersey seen by a Guy standing at tile either end of George Washington Bridge. Our Mediterranean sea routes have been protected. Enemy air bases have been capt tired enemy morale has been damaged because the Axis Soldier was beaten on his Home ground turning to the Campaign itself the general explained the Sally operation Exempla led again what Hie three services can do working together in real coordination. He revealed the initial land Ings met with less desolate opposition than was expected. During the first 48 hours the allies met Sharp counterattacks but when these were beaten off. Tile Way was Clear to tile rapid subjugation of Hie Island. Tile decisive moment of the Campaign lie said came when our assault divisions readied tile Shore substantially undamaged. At that moment we knew the Battle was won and the enemy knew lie had lost. From the beginning he noted our troops met this situation the 8th army faced a slow bitter Battle against very Strong enemy positions while the 7th army found ii self on a Sharp fighting front calling for the oui efforts. Cites French Gen. Eisenhower said ii e thoroughly believed Hie French troops training new with our equipment will prove Good at killing germans and that they will undoubtedly make a tiny fighting contribution to Hie War. Lie jointed out the French have had much past experience in lighting the kind of Battles being carried on now. A a at the conference the following official comment was issued on the ending of Hie Campaign Quot the enemy a proud boast that lie would drive the Allied forces into the sea wherever he met them in euro get seems to be As empty As the Promise to the German Liat not one bomb would their cities. Allied armies have twice the last few months in severe defeats on the so a invincible German army Case at very Small cast to forces to engage and defeat the enemy wherever they  encounter him a meanwhile further details were released on the situation on the Island after the occupation of Hie Messina tip gun batteries Oil both sides of the Straits have settled Down to a steady artillery Duel that was exacted to continue around the clock it was Rex red the italians have Many Large Caliper coastal guns on their Side of the More. Officials announced that British and american forces were now engaged in organizing the territory captured in the past few Days. Allied soldiers were sent out on mopping up extortion looking for isolated bands of italians and germans roaming through the Countryside. Delaying Wras revealed amp in fall on the within filleted called in each turn it Elve Quot the sicilian Campaign is a standing testimony to the supremacy of the Allied navies in this area of Hie Mediterranean to Allied air supremacy and to the de Devoke it Wras revealed until the last moment of the final Day the enemy used every tyi get of delaying device just As he did All through the Campaign but demolition and mines con id it Stop the yanks for Long and first patrols of the 3rd division entered Mes Sina at 2000 hours monday they most Prodigy j met scattered Rifle fire which soon ceased Strong 7th army forces followed them into Toyoi and took Over the cite Early yesterday morning. The 8th army in its drive in the coast ran info some stubborn resistance until As late As 0500 hours yesterday. Bit about that time tall opposition crumbled from then of. The Only shooting that meant a i Bing came from italian artillery on the Mainland. The first British unit to enter Messina w As the 4th armoured brigade which marched in at 1000 hours yesterday. The loss in enemy shipping during the evacuation Over the Straits we As revealed by the Naaf. A total of 305 ships were destroyed or damaged by fighters and fighter bombers of the tactical air Force in the Straits area during the 12 Days before the Island fell. Every Type of Craft from barges to medium sized Supply boats w Ere included in the total which consisted of 34 ships totally destroyed. 47 knocked out of action by direct hits. And 225 severely damaged. Ships destroyed included 13 barges two merchant vessels five Landing Craft five s Ebel ferries three f boats two e boats and four Small termination the Allied land ships. Allied fax rce Headquarters. Aug. 18�?medium bombers and lighter bom hers of the North West african air forces yesterday continued their pounding attacks on the weary rear guard of the j retreating enemy with continuous sweeps Over the Straits of Messina and the roads and beaches of the Mainland of Italy. Hardest hit was tile toe of the Peninsula along Hie Western curve from Reggio i Calabria up to Palmi. American invaders and British Bostons placed the Battle Woin Axis forces in this stretch Miner constant harassment. Fires started by Bostons and Baltimore during the night before were still burning at Palmi Bagnara and Gioia Tauro when the fighter bombers roared Over tile roads yesterday. Wiki their anti aircraft cover gone from the sicilian Side of the Straits of Medina the Hest evacuation Craft to leave he Island found the Short trip across the Straits fraught with death Saaf War Hawks and invaders and Raf Kitty a wits combined to maintain a continuous strafing Ana bumping of intensive against the ships a. To Ley loaded crossed tin Straits and unloaded on the italian Side. At 1300 tile Allied fliers Rej Tjit cd that there was no sign of Landing Craft on Hie Mam evacuation beaches by 1415, All shipping had disappeared from Hie Straits and f Gater bomb is pursued their Hunt for boats northward where roads were so badly damaged on tile toe of Italy that the germans tried to move troops and equipment in Small Crait around the Breaks in the lines of transport Hon during the Day the Fighier bombers destroyed at least nine Small Craft and scored live direct hits on ferries. Coming on tile anniversary of the first All american raid on enrol. Tile big Naaf flying fort Ress raid yesterday on the is tres in tube and Salon airfields outside Marseilles in Southern France caused great damage. On one Field fragmentation bombs Tell in the midst of 150 parked aircraft. Hangars and other buildings were flit and several fires were sin la. Only six enemy fighters were encountered. But flak was heavy and two fortresses were lost. A Force of Axis bombers attacked the Bizerte area. Night fighters of tile coastal air Force and ack ack batteries shot Down eight of Hie Rai lers. No indication of the size of Hie attacking Force was Given from All Lions nine missing. Of yesterdays Oivera Allied planes were rivalry keen continued from Page lately at this stage the Highway runs through i a narrow Seaside Valley. Making it easier to bypass the blown Bridges. Yesterdays resistance was confined to a Sharp Street tight in Spadafora. And the town shows it. American reconnaissance tanks did not hesitate to crush whole buildings to get one die hard nazi. American patrols left the main Road to clean out the Sliver of land crowned by Milazzo. They expected plenty of fight for the Point was known to be Well de fended. The italians were sitting in their pillboxes All right but they didst tire in the dusk they had mistaken the americans tor then German allies. Or so their Story goes. On the Peninsula the yanks captured one of the famed Mobile a a screaming  a four barrel mortar on a turntable mounted on a truck the big fireworks today came when the germans set afire by shelling a six car ammunition Tram a their own they had left behind at Rometta Marea. Big meeting Chicago Gypsy Steve diet Tro was jailed As a bigamist when wife number one arrived with eight of their children alter a six Mon to is Chase to find mrs. Dimitro turn Bel two bouncing a new Steve jr., on her knee. The first wife started on Dimitros Trail when she tired of letters Reading Quot big meeting cant come Home