| Show BOLD EXPLOIT IS THAT PERFORMED BY ITALIAN Pellegrini's Pellegrini s Feat at Pola Pol a Ranks With Raid on Zeebrugge I I By Associated Press ITALIAN ARMY JUI V I HI HEADQUARTERS I EA Ma May Ja IS The The details of or tho recent Italian naval na exploit at Pol Pola show that it was one of ot the most moat au at auda au- au da lacious ious feats of ot the war worthy to I rank with the British at Zeebrugge sc an and the Merrimac nt at Santiago Plans were lon long long- matured b by Lieuten ant Commander Pellegrini who adopted unusual means of secrecy to safeguard i the project To divert attention he too tool took service In the trenches trencheR on the Play Pla and when he hc was tas read ready to start gay gave ic I out that he lie was going to visit h his hi friends lIe He was waR accompanied b by another an ar other r officer and two Iwo sailors fhe The p party ut was e escorted h hy by destroyers destroyer and arrived at Pola Tola at 2 o'clock In the morning It was ver very dark as Ui tho moon had been down two hours A light wind blow blew off orr shore which pre pre- vented the s sounds of preparation going goin landward The entrance to the tho channel was yards ards across with a long lone neck leading into the great harbor In which lay Austria's fleet Cleet of or battleships cruisers cruls cruis L ers Ors and destroyers encircled b by a frowning terrace of land land batteries In the he obscurity the at the I entrance was swung to LU toane LUne ane ne I side Bide tho the guards apparently asleep There was complete lack Jack of or wa watchful watchful- ness aces Final preparation was now made for fori i L nash dash in tho the darkness Commander Pellegrini and his companions put on rubber suits stilts which could be bc inflated The plan was to discharge c torpedoes at the he big ships then blow up tip their own raft jump overboard and await awalt cap- cap Lure or drowning All Mi realized that there herc was practically no flO chance of or re ro- ro turning alive JJ I DC S Commander Pellegrini was perfectly cool as he bade good bye his superior officer saying saying- You Yon are putting your our head In the lions lion's mouth Now the they encountered three successive successive sive lines of ot defense first a then a line lino of ot wooden buoys buos marking a chain of mines mineR and then a heavy steel net strung from bank to bank how the they were enabled to penetrate these obstructions must remain a m mystery particular particularly as ns to the thc steel net which wa was was' apparently an au impossible barrier The escort waited almost an hour when hen the silence was suddenly broken by two distinct explosions of or torpedoes followed by tho the sound of or an alarm gunin gun gunIn gunin in the Inner harbor Soon after two signals of ot ored lights slowly rose from the center of or the harbor showing that Commander Pellegrini had penetrated to the ver very heart of ot the tho fleet Cleet and anti was sending signals from the tInt midst of it ft SIG I. DEATH The first signal meant Have Hae torpedoed torpe torpe- load a battles and the second said Dont mind us we wc have no chance This last signal was the agreed emergency emer etnar- gency enc sign which was to be sent ent up Ina In Incase case caso a o thom there was no nn opportunity to give I It Is believed that thc blew up UI I their craft and took to the water in accordance with the program as an explosive time timo bomb hind had been beau set to toJO togo togo go JO off even If craft was under water a ter Meanwhile the sl sky was wa vivid with searchlights and anti the land batteries were ero pouring I d ti terrific fire on the escort The They clung to their work fora for a ft lime time and then left lert with fort forty searchlights searchlights searchlights search search- lights and countless batteries playing upon them As Ai daylight broke u It fleet of or enem enemy airplanes swooped down but was beaten off oft b by a smaller fleet leet of ot Italian planes three enemy machines machines' machines falling failing Into tho the water during the aerial battle baUle No word has since sittee been heard of ot Commander Pellegrini and his party Their signal was definite that a a ship had had been hit lilt and aerial photographs arc are expected soon to confirm their message mes mes- sage IlKe There I IK every en reason to believe that tho the four men arc are arc prisoners Inan In an any event their associates and the countr country greet the fearless band as heroes who ha have hae e reflected lusting glory glor on th the skill and daring of or the Italian navy |
