VALUE OF NAPLES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 63, Issue 310, 11 October 1943, Page 3

VALUE OF NAPLES.

IMPORTANT TRANSPORT CENTRE RAILWAYS AND ROADS. By taking Naples the United Nations have obtained not only their first great port on the European mainland, but also on the centre of a road and rail system covering much of Central Italy. Three main railway lines run down the leg of the Italian peninsula, one on each coast and the third through the Apennines from Bologna, on the Plain of Lombardy, by way of Florence and Arezzo to Rome. Between Rome and Naples there are two main lines, one running on or parallel with the coast and the other some distance inland among the foothills through Frosinone and Cassino.

Converging Railways,

From Naples several important routes go south and east. The coastal line passes on to Salerno and right down to the toe of Italy. A main diagonal railway branches oft' at Battipaglia, 10 miles south of Salerno, and goes on to Potenza, Taranto and Brindisi. Yet another line crosses the peninsula in a north-easterly direction to Foggia, where it joins the line following the Adriatic coast to Bari and Brindisi.

In addition to these main railways, the mountainous region north and east of Naples is well provided with local lines, most of them rather tortuous. It is a fair presumption that the retreating German forces are wrecking them as completely as possible, but information regarding damage and possible repairs is lacking at present. ‘ Good 'Road System. Central Italy, even in its most hilly parts, is well roaded and the net-] work of national highways is close! and extensive. There are, however, some areas containing only secondary roads, many of which are tortuous and often steep. In certain places, notably north of Naples, bottle-necks occur in the State highway system. The main coastal road to Rome abuts on the shore at Formia, near Gaeta, and at Terracina, before it enters the Pontine Plain, and it open to attack from the sea at these points. The central railway system, which is available to the retreating enemy, I comes to an end above the NaplesFoggia line, and for this reason it contributed little to the defence of Southern Italy. The two Allied armies at (he present stage of their advance are in the favourable position of having good inter-communication by road across the peninsula. With the engineering resources at their disposal the rail link should be restored within a reasonable time. Further north, the increasing width and height of the Apennines makes cross-traffic more difficult. Thus railway repairs are important in order that the port of Naples may be fully j utilised to supply both armies.