Allies Regain Some Of Lost Ground

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24187, 21 February 1944, Page 5

Allies Regain Some Of Lost Ground

WITHDRAWAL SOUTH OF GASSING (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) [Roc. 11 p.in.) LONDON, February 20. In the last 24 hours there has been continuous violent fightng at the Anzio beachhead, south of Rome. Both sides are using tanks and infantry, with strong artillery support. To-day’s Allied communique says that the Allies have improved their beachhead positions. Dispatches say that Allied counter-attacks have regained some of the ground lost in the fierce fighting of the last three days. One correspondent says that the German gains totalled less than 3000 yards, and they are being rapidly reduced. The communique s/ys that on the main sth Army front the Allies yesterday conlimied to exert strong pressure in the mountains Avest of Casino. Recently-won positions were consolidated. / South oLCassino the Allies have had to withdraw from the railway station, which is about 1000 yards from the town. The station was captured by the Allies on Friday. On the Bth Army front the communique reports that Allied patrols inflicted losses on the Germans and look prisoners. The weather improved yesterday, and the Allied air forces slopped up their attacks over the beachhead and in the German roar. The Germans again used every aircraft they could call up for operations over the beachhead. Allied aircraft flew 800 sorties during the day and shot down 26 enemy aircraft. Three Allied aircraft are missing.

“The Allied forces in the beachhead erpa were forced to make a short withdrawal in the Carroceto sector under tremendous German pressure,” reported Reuter’s Algiers correspondent on Saturday. “The sth Army then launched infantry and tank counterattacks, and the latest reports say they are making progress and inflicting very heavy casualties on the enemy. “The Germans are maintaining pressure elsewhere on the perimeter, where the sth Army is holding firm.” The Algiers radio yesterday quoted a Headquarters staff officer as saying that the second German attempt to eliminate the Anzio beachhead had failed. The officer said that the main German thrust was heavy, but the Allied forward positions had been penetrated only twice and the positions had been quickly restored after counter-attacks. Lieutenant-General Clark, after inspecting the beachhead, said that more German blows could be expected, but the enemy was having increasing difficulty in finding a soft spot in the Allied line. Other reports say that hard fighting continued on the beachhead on Saturday with no sign yet that the enemy had expended'his effort. Allied tanks were playing a splendid part in stopping the enemy thrusts. ‘‘The bloody square mile north and east of the famous flyover bridge on the main road from Carroccto is now the stage for a struggle as savage as any yet waged in Italy,” says a correspondent. ‘‘Our guns are pouring an immense weight of shells into this tiny patch of churned-up ploughland. There is little cover for either side. Our forward infantry have to hang on to slit trenches under a pitiless rain of German shellfire. "Overhead, our bombers are flying the greatest formations we have yet seen to aid the hard-pressed infantry. From our gun line we watched our bombers laying bombs only 300 yards in front of our forward units. "The port of Anzio is undoubtedly the enemy’s main objective, but he has nowhere yet approached our main defence lines.” Saturday’s Communique Saturday’s Allied communique said: “In the Cassino area two heights have been wrested from the Germans after hard fighting west of Monte Cassino. In the attacks in this sector troops of Mew Zealand and Indian formations are taking part. “Attacks against our positions In one other sector of the main sth Army front were repulsed. “Against sth Army positions on the Anzio beachhead the enemy continues to hurl troops and tanks. Enemy losses have been heavy. Our lines are intact and we have launched several successful local counter-attacks. “On the Bth Army front patrols have been active. Polish troops yesterday took German prisoners.” An air communique said: “The Weather curtailed air operations on Friday, but light bombers attacked enemy troops at Carroceto and Sezze (eight miles east of Littorio). Fighters patrolled the beachhead. Bombers on Friday night continued to attack enemy communications north of Anzio. The enemy lost three aircraft during Friday and we lost one. We flew about 300 sorties. Enemy sorties over the beachhead numbered about 100.” A naval communique on Saturday said: “Gunfire from our ships continued to support the ground forces in the Anzio area. United States tor-pedo-boats on Thursday night intercepted enemy destroyers or minelayers

north of Capraja (an island 16 miles east of the northern tip of Corsica). Torpedo attacks were delivered with unobserved results.” Marshal Kesselring employed four divisions in Friday's onslaught in the northern sector of the Anzio beachhead, according to a United Nations military commentator in Algiers, who described it as a full-scale attack designed to fling the Allied forces back into the sea. These four divisions included one not previously identified in Italy. “The attack,” said this commentator, “was launched against our positions along the Anzio-Albano road, and in face of heavy attacks by infantry and tanks the Allies had to give some ground in the neighbourhood of Carroceto. The Allies counter-attacked and inflicted very heavy casualties on the enemy, and are continuing to make progress. The Germans on Friday continued to apply pressure against other parts of the beachhead.” Friday’s fighting round the Anzio beachhead was as fierce as any yet experienced in Italy, according to detailed dispatches from the area. “The enemy renewed the attack on Friday morning,” said one correspondent, "and by dawn the area south of Carroceto on the main Anzio-Albano road was again a boiling cauldron of shellfire. All the enemy punches were supported by tanks, though we arc not on ground where we can employ them on our largest scale. “On Thursday the weather was crystal clear, and our air effort was the strongest support I have yet seen given to ground troops; but on Friday the weather made it impossible to exploit our air superiority. Fighterbombers have been the main air weapon on both sides. “The German losses in the Anzio fighting are on a very large scale, but the eiftmy would accept heavier losses if he could force a decision. Wo expect no let-up to-morrow in the battle’s fury.” Five hundred German troops in one sector, preparing lo advance against northerly positions on the Anzio beachhead on Friday, were wiped out by Allied tanks. One officer told a correspondent; “It was just plain slaughter.” The enemy, however, is still working on the assumption that by throwing in sufficient numbers he must make progress. Some prisoners were taken on Friday, and the enemy’s casualties continue to increase. Some significance is attached by military observers in London In the capture of two crests west, of Monte Cassino, says a British Official Wireless message. The positions round here are undoubtedly the key to that part, of the front, and the Germans will make every effort to prevent us taking them. The Berlin radio to-day admitted that the German line had been pierced at several points on the Cassino front, but claimed that the attacks wore eventually thrown back. The Rome radio said that the battle had developed on a broad front.

enemy ships sunk ALLIED SUBMARINES’ SUCCESSES (8_0.W,) RUGBY. Feb. 19. British submarines destroyed 19 ♦k T' y 5 - h -iP 3 during recent patrols in we North Atlantic, the Mediterranean, the Far East, says the Admiralty, oix other supply ships, three of them otv ’ were probably sunk, and eight ran r j were df,m 3ged. The victims ve, - . f rorn the largest type of supply essel to coastal craft, file successes included the sinking of Non? 6 si, ppL’ ship olf the coast of y . an d four large supply ships in sm.ti terranean . where a number of r yokels operating under Gergren COnt rol were also sunk by gunBlv l civ ar ® ast(?rn waters a large sup£evo,.niP Was also sunk, together with .£ fdl small naval craft, marinn of , twu United Slates subpst,. s . w h |f -h recently returned from flakin'* ln Japanese waters reports the tobiiiL°L D enemy merchantmen tons,” says a United • o Navy communique.

SHIPS AND PLANES DESTROYED AMERICAN AIR FORCE IN CHINA WASHINGTON. Feb. 13. From the beginning of December, 1943, to the middle of February, tbs 14th United States Army Air Force m China destroyed 128 enemy aeroplanes, probably destroyed 74, sank 92 enemy ships totalling 75.000 tons, and probably sank or heavily damaged 1 1 ships totalling 60.000 tons. The Americans lost 18 aeroplanes in the air and eight on the ground. Fumigation of Aircraft.— Sanitary control of air traffic has been introduced in Britain to prevent the introduction of tropical diseases. ohe control is operated by a pilot pressing a button, which releases a gcrmicictai agent, producing a non-offcnsivc vapour on exposure to (he air. The vapour penetrates the clothing of passengeis and all equipment inside an aircraft.— Rugby, Feb. t 7