BIG JW£W OFFENSIVE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 85, 11 April 1945, Page 5

BIG JW£W OFFENSIVE

Terrific Air Blows Prelude Great Infantry Attack N.Z.P.A.—Copyright—Hec 1 p.m. LONDON, April 10. The Eighth Army has begun a battle for the North of Italy, ending a four months' lull on the Italian front, says Reuters corre-i sponclent at Allied Mediterranean headquarters. The assault, which resulted in forcmg the formidable Senio River over a broad front, was preceded by a terrific air assault in the Eighth Army's path, in which Liberators, 2000 yards ahead of our troops, dropped 3400 high explosives and 180,000 fragmentation bombs over small areas between Lake Comacchio and the Bologna road, where German troops, supplies, gun crews and anti-aircraft batteries were concentrated. The Mediterranean Air Force flew 3074 sorties, a record for; 1945, for the loss of five planes. * So far no news has been released regarding ground operations except the fact that the Americans have outflanked Massa, on the Fifth Army front, and are fighting in the suburbs. General Clark's army for the new offensive consists of American, New Zealand, South African, Indian, Polish and British divisions. Their first object will be to conquer the main German army rather than to make geographical gains. Reuters military correspondent says the battle of North Italy is going to be stiff and bloody. The Germans have at least 25 wellarmed divisions there, the hard crust of which is provided by two paratroop divisions and by the 90th Light Infantry Division, which has figured in every battle since before Alamein. The terrain over which the Eighth Army is attacking is similar, to the canal-ridden land of Holland, making it one of the most difficult battlefields in the world. The Senio River itself is bounded by old dykes. The Germans have built intricate defence positions into the banks. The surrounding country consists of swamps, lakes and rivers, while a large flooded area coupled with Lake Comacchio blocks General McCreery's extreme right flank.