ALLIED PRESSURE IN ITALY

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 24095, 3 November 1943, Page 3

ALLIED PRESSURE IN ITALY

Bth Army Nearer Isernia STH ARMY PUSHES BEYOND TEANO (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) {Rec. 7 p.m.) LONDON. Nov. 1. The latest gains of the sth and Bth Armies, though slight in mileage, are important, because they involve key points. The Bth Army continues its relentless pressure on each side of the mountain road towards Isernia. The sth Army is forcing the enemy back from the southerly slopes of Monte Miletto, a 6000 ft peak in the Matese mountains, which lie between Venafro and Bojano. The sth Army has captured Valle Agricola, north of Teano. Captured German documents show that the enemy considered Teano a vital point in his system of road communications.

The Hermann Goering Division was entrusted with its defence. The 5Ui Army is fanning out from this point to cut the roads to Venafro and Cassino. The sth Army in the western coastal sector is now approaching Carinola. which is seven miles ■ north-east of Mondragone, The Bth Army, after the occupation of Cantalupo, which is 10 miles south east of Isernia, captured Macchiagidena and Frosolone (about 12 miles almost due east of Isernia). The Berlin radio last night admitted that the Germans had evacuated Prattella, south-east of Venafro. The Algiers radio says that floods have washed away many Allied bridges. Engineers are erecting new bridges, in some cases under heavy fire. The whole population of Naples, 500,000 people, were evacuated to the hills for four and a half hours, under orders from the authorities, while engineers from the sth Army pushed home switches to restore the city’s electric light and power. In the meantime. the city was as dead as Pompeii nearby. It had been feared that the Germans had connected mines and booby traps to homes and buildings, but nothing untoward happened. ADVICE TO KING OF ITALY REPORTED ACTION BY BADOGLIO (Rec. 11 p.m.) LONDON. Nov. 2. “Marshal Badoglio, atter returning by air from Naples, conferred with all his political leaders, including Count Sforza and Signor Croce, and immediately informed King Victor Emanuel that he was unable to form a representative Government while the King remained on the throne,” says the correspondent of the Associated Press in southern Italy. The correspondent adds that opposition to the King appears to be widespread in all quarters, from the workers to those who enriched themselves under his reign. The British United Press correspondent at Naples says that Marshal Badoglio. when asked what should be done with Hitler and Mussolini, replied that they should be put in a cage and taken throughout Europe as a sideshow. Admissions, he said, would pay off the war debt. People would be glad to pay for a chance to jeer at them. NO REFERENCE TO POLAND FRANCE NOT GIVEN REPRESENTATION NEWSPAPER CRITICISM (Rec. 12.30 a.m.) LONDON, Nov. 2. The “News-Chronicle,” in a leading article, says: “There is one enormous omission and one grievous defect in the agreement. The omission is of any reference to Russia’s western bourn daries, particularly Poland. This highly debatable problem will soon have to be frankly faced. “The grievous defect is the failure to include France in the European Advisory Council. This is certain to cause misgiving among all the western occupied countries.” COMMENT BY MR NASH NEW ZEALAND CONSULTED ON DECLARATION (P.A.) WELLINGTON. Nov. 2. “The Moscow conference and the several declarations which resulted from its discussions should rank in importance with the Atlantic Charter and the United Nations’ declaration of January 1, 1942,” commented the De-puty-Prime Minister (the Hon. W. Nash) to-day. “The outstanding result of the conference,” he said, “is undoubtedly the Four-Power Declaration on general security, in the drafting of which New Zealand, in common with the other Dominions, has been consulted throughout, and with the terms of which the New Zealand Government is in general agreement. It marks a most valuable step in the progress of United Nations’ collaboration. “That the four major Allied Powers should reach this far-reaching understanding on the basic principles of a new world order, and that the machinery of practical co-operation is to be set in motion on the special responsibility of the four great Powers to secure disarmament and the preparation of the groundwork for a general international organisation, based on the free participation of all free-dom-loving nations, are realistic steps towards securing a solidly-based peace. The declaration constitutes a pledge that the spirit of co-operation brought about by the trials and sacrifices of the war will be carried over into the peace, and that the confidence and trust of the Allies will remain a sure foundation for post-war reconstruction. Those who fought side by side are thus pledged, when victory is won. to continue to stand together for the maintenance of international peace and security. With the continuance of this spirit animating the four great Powers, the problems of peace may be faced with confidence like that with which the United Nations now regard the successful conclusion of the war.”

“Exploiting to the full our i over Rabaul and the Solomons, Halsey, was thrown forward ap tral Bougainville yesterday morning,” says to-day’s communique from General MacArthur. “In a combined ground, water, and air movement our forces seized and occupied Empress Augusta Bay, on the western coast. “The movement was unsuspected by the enemy and there was little opposition. “We are now in the rear ol the enemy’s positions in Buin, on Bougainville, and in Faisi, in the Shortlands, and we arc athwart his line of supply to The landing puts the Alii the big Japanese base in New 1 General Mac Arthur said comes out, I will welcome it. it.” (Empress Augusta Bay is just north of Gazelle Harbour, shown on “The Press” map above.) This action was one 'of the largest combined operations ever carried out in the Pacific. The troops landed at Empress Augusta Bay just after dawn on Monday. General Mac Arthur outlined his plans to correspondents at a special conference during the week-end. He said: “What I need are airfields. With an airfield at Empress Augusta Bay we can put up fighter cover in the range of New Britain. My resources are limited. I have a shortage of means to hit the Japanese. Until now we haven’t been able to mount fighter cover as we need it. I have been able to neutralise Rabaul, but with my limited means I cannot keep the Japanese from siphoning in reinforcements. I hope that Japan’s main fleet will come out, but I don’t think it will come.” General Mac Arthur explained that the move against Empress Augusta Bay was another illustration of his maximum use of the limited means at his disposal, thus gaining single advantages step by step, instead of launching the multiple operations which would be possible with adequate resources. “The Japanese is tough in body and tough in soul, but he has not been able to think quickly,” General Mac Arthur told war correspondents, when he announced the Allied plan to invade NEW ZEALANDERS IN SOLOMONS JAPANESE POSITIONS CAPTURED PLANES PREVENT ENEMY COUNTER-MOVE (N.Z. Press Association —Copyright) (Rec. 11.30 p.tn.) SYDNEY, Nov. 2. New Zealand troops in the Treasury Islands, in the northern Solomons, have captured Japanese mortar and gun positions. This is reported in General MacArthur’s latest communique. A single enemy raider which attempted to attack after dark was shot down by anti-aircraft defences. The first Japanese attempt to counter the invasion of the Treasury Islands, occupied by New Zealand forces last week, was smashed from the air. An Australian war correspondent in the area reports that United States Navy Corsairs found a dozen small enemy transports and numerous barges in Tono'lei Harbour, near Kahili, on Bougainville. They waited until the transports were fully loaded and then strafed them with incendiaries. One transport exploded and three others burst into flames. Barges were also sunk or set on fire. “Complete Allied control of air and sea has the Japanese nonplussed,” says the correspondent. “They can neither reinforce nor evacuate without suffering heavily. “On Mono Island the New Zealanders are still closely pursuing the Japanese. who are fighting a rearguard action as they move towards Malsi, the closest point to Bougainville. The New Zealanders have to exterminate enemy suicide squads as. they advance.” On Choiseul Island brisk fighting is reported between the Americans and the Japanese garrison at Sangigai. Admiral Halsey’s air forces have made further heavy attacks on Buka aerodrome, on Bougainville, where one enemy bomber was destroyed and seven others damaged on the ground. There was no Japanese air interception. In New Guinea the Australian troops in the Finschhafen area have enveloped and destroyed an enemy strongpoint, and Allied dive-bombers have attacked Japanese supply points. Capital of Thailand to be Moved.— The Tokyo radio has announced that the capital of Thailand is to be moved 190 miles to the northward from Bangkok to Petchabun (Bejraourana), a naturally fortified city flanked cn the east and west by high mountains and nestling in the basin of the Paska river, a tributary of the Mekong riVer.—New York, November 1.

,*jser 2. I recent comprehensive air sweeps,J i, our right wing, under Admiral pproximately 200 miles into cen-

e those bases.” ies within 260 miles of Rabaul, Britain. to-day: “If the Japanese fleet I will throw everything against 1 Bougainville. “Perhaps when he rea--2 Uses that this is a real battle he will think faster. He has been badly beaten t and is beginning to lose some of the t cocksureness that was. his main asset t at the start. Already he has taken a , lot of punishment.” The evident paucity of Japanese air interference with the Allied move in- ? dicates how thoroughly the enemy’s z airfields in the northern Solomons and “ at Rabaul have been neutralised by J recent attacks. , War correspondents £ in the south Pacific area say that Ad- , miral Halsey’s bombers dropped thous- * ands of tons of bombs on the Kahili, ; Kara, and Ballale airfields auring the ■ last week, and that these fields are , still unusable. Allied reconnaissance - on craft hover over them, and as soon f as the Japanese ground-crews repair them they flash back signals. Allied ' pilots, standing by, take off immedi- ? ately. and within an hour the fields are 1 knocked out again. Bitter fighting is likely as the Allied land forces move towards the princi- * pal Japanese strong-points round the - southern tip of Bougainville. Some 5 unofficial reports from that area have '> placed the number of the enemy gar- ' nson as high as 45,000. 1 Only fragmentary reports of the American landing at Empress Augusta 3 Bay are yet available; but the seizure e of this important strategic point is rer ported to have proceeded precisely as - General Mac Arthur outlined his plan b to war correspondents. 1 STATE CONTROL OF U.SJMINES PRESIDENT’S REPLY TO STRIKERS r TROUBLE SPREADS TO CANADA (Rec. 11.30 p.m.) WASHINGTON. Nov. 1. ! ; President Roosevelt has issued a an order seizing all coalmines in \ the nation. The order directs Mr 1 Harold Ickes, Secretary of the In- \ tenor, to take immediate possesi sion of all mines producing coal r - in which a strike has occurred or has been threatened, together with r property franchises, rights, or funds used for the operation of t these mines; and to operate the 1 mines in any manner he. deems - neceswary for the successful pror secution of the war. i The President authorised Mr Ickes - to enter into collective bargaining with - the miners and conclude a contract i for the duration under the approval i of the War Labour Board. 3 In a separate statement, Mr Roose--5 velt informed the miners that mines will be opened by the Government on * Wednesday morning. He said: “As 5 President of the United States and J; Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, I call on every miner to return to work without a day’s delay.” The American strike has spread to i Canada, where 8500 miners, seeking s higher wages, walked out, tying up all v the mines in British Columbia and AlY berta, which represent 60 per cent, of the total Canadian coal production. ® Officials describe the strike, which 1 was called by the Canadian branch B of the United Mineworkers’ Assqciaj tion, as “a terrible situation.” 3 Some schools, hospitals, and public i buildings have coal only for a fortl. night. The authorities have ordered - street lights in Alberta to be cut in half to preserve stocks at electric s power plants. I NEW ZEALANDERS IN FRANCE LONDON, Nov. 1. _ News of the few New Zealanders t living in occupied France has been reI ceived by the High Commissioner (Mr W. J. Jordan) from the Foreign Office. They are Miss Sidney Duigan, of ' Wanganui, who lives at Pau, in the I Pyrenees: Mrs Vera Moore and her * son, , who. live at Dordogne: Mrs Jeanne f Rout end her Son, of Auckland, who 1 are living at Marseilles; and Miss Frances Mac Gibbon, who is-nursing in a hospital at Cannes.