Oran Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 18, 1943, Oran, Oran                               Ora Deily it a vol. 1 -140. 78 won Ondoy August 18, 1943 u. S. Army newspaper one franc Messina Falls to allies Shine your Boot mister Coward entire City red army pincers Surprise bombing close on Bryansk in Southern France in similar move London. Aug. 17�?the Battle of Kharkov has reached its Climax and russian troops today were overwhelming German resistance in the Northern suburbs Only a mile irom the City front line dispatches said last night. On the South the soviet tide surged Forward and the army which captured chug Rev last week was reported less than four Miles from Kharkov. In a move to protect their escape corridor West of Kharkov the germans were bringing fresh reserves to the sector South of the steel Center As Well As along the Kharkov poltava railway where Herce resistance was slowing the russian Advance Westward. Continuing their Progress toward Bryansk the re Dafany Ceu ted the City of a Hizir 10 Miles to the North and advanced on the entire sector East of the Central front stronghold it was revealed a Moscow that Large guerrilla forces have been aiding the regular russian a Ziy in the heavy forests which lie around Bryansk. Swampy country in some spots the terrain which forms a natural Barrier to the soviet of Fen be is said to be almost Jungle like in tenseness and thousands of swamps make the Countryside a quagmire after even smash Rains observers said. It was expected that the russian pincers already parallel with Bryansk North and South would soon Start to close in a giant envelopment movement similar to the tactic that took Orel and swept into Kharkov. 1 the final push to the German fortress necessarily will be slow because of the natural Protection offered the City and the stiff re continued on Paoo 41 Allied Force Headquarters aug. 17�?this afternoon Strong forces of heavy bombers attached the Aird Romes of Watres be tube and Salon Northwest of Marseilles in Southern France. The distance of these targets in France from North Africa is 5c0 Miles ene Way. The airfields Are 25 to 30 Miles from Marseilles this we the first time an Allied air attack was made on occupied France from bases in North Africa. Only details Given were that utile resistance was Gen. Ike cells wac s to stay Allied Force Headquarters aug. 17 a in Plain and simple words Gen. Dwight d. Eisenhower Allied commander in chief addressed his command of Waco son sunday afternoon and told them How accessory they were to the fighting ahead. Today these women soldiers were no longer Waack a. They Are now was with their auxiliary status gone forever and today they faced the 64-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 is Brief speech urging them to continue the Good work they have done thus far. The general had just returned by plane from a conference with his senior commanders in the Forward  Pound Bool fwu Wjk Miqu of acc divisions in Sicily by Flat Jack foist a Sian Sod stripes Slot or kor Allied Force Headquarters aug. 17�?with intense machine gunning and Low level bombing attacks flyers of the Northwest african air forces yesterday continued to smash efforts of the Axis army trying to escape from Sicily to Northern Italy. As the sicilian Campaign reached a Climax disastrous for the enemy tactical air Force bombers were out every minute of the Day and night. Messina s beaches were oct cd. Escape vessels in the narrow Straits Between the Island and the Mainland were hunted out and subject Allied chiefs want Italy first Yovor continued bombing of Europe de to furious attacks. All along the italian toe and up the West coast of the Peninsula to Pizzo was disrupted As relentless Allied airmen brought new ruin to overtaxed transportation routes. For the second night in a Row Wellington heavy bombers of the Royal air Force paid a devastating visit to Viterbo. 45 Miles North of Rome. This time the Ai drome there was heavily attacked. Crews sighted and bombed concentrations of barges and sent High explosives whistling Down on Bridges and rail lines. Coordinated operations by the Saaf and the Raf brought invaders marauders. Mitchells. Lightnings War Hawks. Bostons bait mores and Kitty Hawks ranging All Over the toe of the italian Peninsula. Vehicles and troop and Materiel concentrations were machine gunned roads and railways again came in for heavy punishment. Pilots who attacked merchant vessels barges and ferries in the Straits of Messina found that commandos hit coast in joint ack ack still intense on Italy Side of Straits it continued on Page 4 with american forges approaching Messina. Aug. 17 delayed the defense of Sicily has Cost the German i Gfa command about two divisions it was revealed in a Check up t hero As the Mil of Messina and the end of. The Campaign seemed to accurate count of italian losses can be Spade yet. Occupation of Sicily has Giyen the allies three definite tactical advantages a. Insured Protection of the Mediterranean sea route. % bottled up a Good part of the italian Navy in its Home bases on Tho coast to the a  of Sicily. 3. Has Given the Allied a air forces bases from which its fighters can reach most of Southern Italy and its fighter bombers a Large sector of Italy. The operations which. Routed the germans from their Mountain a sense unas add the five Day Battle for Troina were termed Here Quot the still est fighting for american troops since the last  the enemy launched .24 separate counterattacks in a desperate Effort to keep the High ground which commanded the terrain East of it. Map.  controlled All inlay amp it re it an commanders committed five regiments of infantry and 15 battalions of artillery to the taking of the Troina Ridge line. German prisoners Token during the Battle described the artillery As Quot worse than  they called it a Zaube Breuer a. Meaning Quot magic  one of a he tactical lessons of the Campaign was the German demonstration of masterful Retreat through the maximum use of demolitions and mine Fields. On the other hand the yanks showed the enemy the value of Well executed amphibious warfare which in five Days has landed them behind the Axis Basa More than i Jolo prisoners were taken in the second thrust at Cape Orlando All but 100 being italians. The germans burst out of teas trap but not without Large losses. The americans lost a considerable amount of material in this action. Tribute was paid the american a % t Burneo on Pago u a Quebec aug. 17 a plans for knocking out Italy while dealing Aerial mows at Gar before beginning ground operations in Western Europe were favored by american Canadian and British chiefs of staff in their meetings hero it was reliably reported last night. The full dress conference Between prime minister Winston Churchill and president Franklin d. Roosevelt will be under Way Quot in a matter of hours Quot and All the preliminary details have been worked out for the strategic decisions to come one correspondent said. Stories quoting the prime minister As saying the War would be Over in six months were officially denied by Churchill yesterday. It is thought the statements appearing in French language newspapers in Canada were based on a misunderstanding of his recent speech to the Quebec provincial legislature. Mean wide president Roosevelt summoned his Cabinet members to the White House for a series of conferences presumably the last before he strains for Canada a Washington dispatch said. Especially rated were appointments with Secretary of suite Cordell Hull red Navy a actuary Frank Knox. Milan on Mainland hit by blockbuster fire guide planes London. Aug. 17�?guided by fires started in a raid 24 hours earlier Raf Britain based bombers attacked Milan in Northern Italy again sunday night dropping More than 100 Block busters. Quot Milan is dying Quot said the correspondent of the Swiss paper a die  Quot All Public services telephones trains and railways Are suspended. Food is unobtainable. No newspapers Are  Raf bombers were reported Over Italy again last night. Meanwhile american and British aircraft based in England have continued the make a hell of the rest of Axis Europe. Fortresses struck at German airfields at Lebourget near Paris in just one of a Dosen attacks on military installations in France. The raids marked the. First anniversary of the Britain based 8tb Saaf. Today saw the end of a year in which the 8th dropped 15,722 tons of bombs during 82 missions and made an a Raee of two missions every nine Days. Am official  from at�41 Otoe headquarter at that the last Axis Strongo d on the Island of Sicily was in Allied hands. The announcement said that the guns on the italian Mainland were now turned. Against Messina and were shelling the City. The communique came almost exactly 86 Days after Allied forces landed on the Island and 2 Days after h Dace bowed out. The doom of Messina was foreshadowed when americans split the a s forces in half by taking Palermo on july 22. Capture of the City was the culmination of a coned Rod Ai led push which began after the British seizure of Catania on August 5. The drive wan slowed Down unto combined american and British troops broke through at Randazzo four Days ago. After that there was no holding the allies and the Axis Retreat Quot the firmer positions Quot turned into a full rout. The end was hastened by two new amphibious raids one by inc 7th army on the Northern coast and the other by British commandos eight Miles South of Messina. The germans remaining behind Hung on grimly in the final moments before throwing in the sponge. They used some Mobile artillery in a Lia if hearted attempt to slow up the Advance but they did no to put up a fight anywhere along the line. Evacuation activities petered Cut As fewer and fewer ships it Cut the Harbor for the suicide run to the Mainland. Allied pilots covering the skies noticed the flak had dwindled on the Sicily Side of the Straits., but ack ack was still intense on the opposite Shore. The u. 8. Navy revealed yank forces had pulled off still another sea raid on the Northern coast the third in the past ten Days. The Landing was made yesterday morning near Milazzo. An important port that had been bypassed by the main body of american troops on their Way to Messina. Quot the Landing was made without difficulty Quot the Ravy announced giving no further details of the operation in the last push toward Messina 7th army troops fanned out from the Northern coast some units sweeping Down the main Road and capturing gesso five Miles Northwest of Messina some resistance was met in this area. Other forces moved Inland to occupy Monforte san Giorgio nine Miles Southwest of Messina and seven Miles below gesso. Both cities Are in the general Region where the germans decided to set up their final defense Une. Yesterday the eth army brought its main artillery into position and began to Pound the outer defences of Messina with heavy shells As the advancing forces raced Forward to close the Gap. Coming at Messina from the South. 8th army commandos made a daring Landing eight Miles below the City about the time the yanks were doing the same thing in the North. They were practically unopposed As they swarmed ashore behind enemy Linea. This move Cut off two italian regiments making a last stand at  on p tyo 4j