THE NEW THRUST

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 65, Issue 154, 12 April 1945, Page 5

THE NEW THRUST

OPERATIONS IN ITALY. STRONG ENEMY FORCES. GERMANS HAMMERED BY AIR. (N.Z. Press Association —Copyright.) (Rec. 10.10 a.m.) LONDON, April 11. News about the new thrust on the Italian front is sparse, but it is known that the Germans are putting up bitter opposition against both the sth and Bth Armies, state front-line correspondents. Ground haze closed down on the battle area, but Allied planes today again hammered enemy positions, some of which are only a few hundred yards in front of our lines.

Military quarters stress that General von Viewtinghof, the new German commander in Italy, has 25 German and at least six Italian Fascist divisions under his command. The number of German divisions facing General Mark Clark’s 15th Army Group, it is stated, far exceeds the number of organised German divisions on the west, front. Their morale is good and they have had plenty of time for training and <resting during the winter lull. ( Renewed activity was reported today'on the Bth Army’s left flank south of Bologna. j A report of the Mediterranean Tactical Air Force’s operations show that Mitchell and medium bombers kept up a continuous shuttle service, flying hundreds of sorties, while heavies attacked communications routes far in the German rear, even stretching to Austria and Germany. Escorted Flying Fortresses, and Liberators attacked the Brenner Pass for the seventh consecutive day.