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DAM BREACHED.
BEHIND AXIS LINES.
BOMBERS' FEAT.
AUSTRALIAN PARTICIPANTS
LONDON, May 7.--Kittyhawk and1
Mustang dive-bombers on Friday
afternoon without loss broke thej
great Torre dam, 12 miles south-west
of Chieti, on the Pescara River. The
Mustangs cracked the iron sluice
gates and 20 minutes later a wall
of water, broken by huge waves, was
seen moving downstream towards
Pescara.
Pescara, on the Adriatic coast. and
also the dam itself, are orily about
10 miles from the Allied front. The
Torre dam was one of eastern Italy's
chief sources of hydro-electric power
and its breaking is regarded as a
great achievement. Rome derives
some of its power from the Torre
station.
The British United Press reports
from Naples that photographic re
connaissance at noon yesterday
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showed that the great dam was
empty. Photographs confirm that
the suice-gates were blown out and
that the river itself behind the dam
is almost dry. In an earlier message
from Naples Reuters reported that
the dam-water was flooding German
supply and concentration .sreas be
hind Marshal Kesselring's east coast
defences.
A British United Press correspon
dent reports that the dive-bombing
crews were specially trained for weeks
before the raid. They were briefed
to make a power-dive through heavy
flak. Their bombs had to crash into
a small target area from low level,
because heavy underwater explosions
were required to crack the iron
slulce-gates.
Victorian Scores a Hit.
Australlan Kittyhawk pilots par
ticipated. A Victorian, Fit-Li Ken
Richards, of Warragul, scored one
hit on the dam, says the correspon
dent, and other Kitty-bomber pilots
also scored hits. Pilots saw debris
from the dam hurtle into the air.
South African pilots f1ew some
Kittyhawks and pilots from the
United Kingdom flew Mustangs.
It is recalled in London that the
Italians in 1934 released water
through the sluices of the Torre dam
with disastrous results. They flooded
Pescara town to a depth of three
feet and the water did not subside
for a week.
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