LIEUTENANT B. HEWITT

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24369, 22 September 1944, Page 4

LIEUTENANT B. HEWITT

we don’t see more than three raids a month, and they are usually hit and run attacks by fighter-bombers. That is the average experience on the New Zealand sector.

““The old pattern bombing is a thing of the past, and the night nuisance raids have practically disappeared. The Germans still have aircraft in Italy, for our fighters have gone over their aerodromes and seen Messerschmitts down below, but the Germans have declined to give battle. They lost the initiative in the air at El Alamein, and have not recovered it since, while our strength has been growing all the time.” Lieutenant Hewitt said that the Germans fought bitterly and stubbornly when they were holding a line, and moved out quickly when the line cracked. The withdrawal from Rome, however, was a disorderly one, and photographs taken by Italians in the city showed that the Germans had gone through in completely disorganised small groups. The enemy still showed skill in leaving booby traps behind, but these were not prepared as skilfully as they had been at the end of the North African campaign. One of the best German divisions in Italy was the Ist Paratroop Division, which had fought on Crete and in Russia. The New Zealand Division was up against it at Orsogna and again at Cassino. Lieutenant Hewitt said that the veterans of this division were absolute fanatics not more than 23 years of age. The youngest were only 16. Those who had been captured had expressed regret that they had not been able to die a hero’s death. Strength of Division

Lieutenant Hewitt said that with its two infantry brigades and one armoured brigade the New Zealand Division was numerically stronger than any other division in the British Army, and was one of the most powerful striking forces. The division’s extra mobility was not of such great advantage in Italy as it had been in North Africa, although when a line was broken it enabled the troops to get there quickly or make rapid moves from one sector to another.

“The New Zealand tanks have done a remarkable job in Italy, and the 4th Armoured Bidgade has a very high reputation,” said Lieutenant Hewitt. “The brigade was changed from an infantry brigade, and had no armoured battle experience, but it went straight into action in severe winter conditions. When the tanks were able to move in country that was suited to them, our men took them into action anywhere. They have even climbed mountains with them, Also the New Zealanders were the first to use Sherman tanks for indirect fire. This was at Cassino, when the tanks could not go into the town because of the effects of the Allied bombing.” Lieutenant Hewitt said that when the New Zealanders reached Rome it seemed too normal to have been a city in the war. ,The main part of the city showed very little sign of having been touched, there were newspapers selling in the streets, the people were all well dressed, and the children looked fit. The population appeared to have suffered much less than the people of Naples and the villages in the south of Italy. Food, however, was short, and because of the lack of flour the people had little macaroni. There was also a shortage of leather in Italy, and people had to wear wooden clogs or sandals in place of shoes. .Evidence of Atrocities In Rome New Zealanders who visited the combined headquarters of the Gestapo and the Fascist police saw proof of Axis atrocities. The people of Rome were still afraid of the building, and would stand across the road ana gape at it, but the New Zealanders were shown through by an Italian patriot who had come through the enemy lines with a New Zealand soldier, had been recaptured, and then had been tortured. There were burns from-cigar butts on his thighs every two inches, and all his teeth except two or three had been knocked out with a chisel. Lieutenant Hewitt said that the two top floors of the headquarters were divided into rooms about the size of a bathroom. At the end of each room was a cabinet 7ft high. Prisoners were tied in this and a strong light with a reflector was shone in their eyes. Some of the New Zealanders who had doubted stories of atrocities against Italian civilians were convinced when they had seen this evidence.

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