CITY OF HORROR

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 225, 22 September 1943, Page 3

CITY OF HORROR

REGIME IN NAPLES Remnants Of Italian Army Fight On In North N.Z. Press Association—Copyright Rec. 1.30 p.m. LONDON, Sept. 21. According to Italians reaching Allied Headquarters, the Germans have turned Naples into a city of horror, killing thousands of civilians, looting, burning and destroying, reports the Associated Press correspondent with the Fifth Army. The city is waterless and has no light. Food distribution has broken down. It means death to leave houses at night in search of food.

German soldiers when patrolling give no challenge — they shoot. Typhoid and typhus are raging. There are no medical supplies. Naples is now covered in a vast pall of smoke from German demolitions. Destruction of the city appears to be on a huge scale. The Germans are sacking the rich city and imposing the severest penalties on the Italians on the ground that they are sabotaging the war machine. A report received at Berne states that Carmagnola, between Cuneo and Turin, was captured by the remnants of the Italian Fourth Army, which has been fighting the Germans in the Northern Po Valley for four days, and succeeded in wiping out Carmagnola's strong German mechanised garrison. Mont Cenis Tunnel Blocked Whole companies of regulars after overcoming their Fascist officers also thousands of workers joined the remnants of the Fourth Army which, besides completely blocking Mont Cenis tunnel, which is the most direct route from France, continue mining bridges and strategic roads along the frontier, making them impassable. It is estimated that Mont Cenis tunnel has been out of action for two months.

Vatican radio reports that a German patrol has been posted in front of St. Peter's Square, which is the boundary between Rome and the territory of Vatican City. The patrol has not actually entered Vatican City. Italy's Commander -in - Chief in Rome telephoned the Vatican, whereupon o£Sts went to the bo^~~-"S ana saw for themselves that the Germans had not crossed the boundary.