GOTHIC LINE ASSAULT

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24369, 22 September 1944, Page 5

GOTHIC LINE ASSAULT

Gains by sth Army

RIMINI AIRFIELD HELD

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 12,5 a.m.) LONDON. Sept. 21

The sth Army in Italy has enlarged the breach in the Gothic Line defences on the central sector and is advancing on a front of six miles. Our troops have made good progress : in hilly country and are approaching, Firenzuola. about 25 miles north of Florence. More gains have also been made by the Bth Army in the Rimini area. Yesterday Allied aircraft based in Italy made 1400 operational flights, many of the targets attacked being in north-western Hungary. Seven of our aeroplanes are missing. The Exchange Telegraph Agency’s correspondent in Rome savs Americans of the sth Army, following the Gothic Line breach, are within 25 miles of Bologna.

The Associated Press says that front line dispatches state that the gains in the central sector cost an “uncomfortable” number of losses.

"On the Adriatic front,' important gains have been made,” said a correspondent in a dispatch yesterday. “The Rimini airfield is entirely in our hands and the Greeks have advanced 1000 yards beyond it. The Canadians captured San Martino, on Monte Labarte, three miles south of Rimini, after a grim battle under extremely heavy enemy shelling and mortar fire, and

advanced a mfte north-west across the Ausa river. Stiff fighting continues for enemy positions sbuth-west of Rimini, especially in the SanSFortunato area. “British troops have been able to hold the bridgehead which they gained on Tuesday over the Ausa river, and they are now engaged in bitter fighting in the 1 * hills betweei Rimini and the north-east frontier of San Marino.. The advance in this republic has also continued further south. Serravalle, on the north-east frontier, and Domagrano, tWo miles north-east of the town of San Marino, have been captured. British troops are within a mile of the town of San Marino, . . “The enemy has nine divisions on the Adriatic froftt, and although much reduced in numbers, they are battling strongly on the final line of hills west of Rimini, which bars the .entrance to the 'Po Valley. This ridge is the last stronghold in the Apennine positions. “Fifth Army troops in the past 24 hours have made great.advances 20 miles north of Florence and south of > Firenzuola, where they pushed up the slopes of the 2600-foot Monte Castel Guerrino and seized the height of Lacroce. This means an advance of more than two miles in places. The capture of important hill features within the last two days threatens the whole enemy position. Already resistance in parts of the central sector has diminished as our artillery and air forces continue to inflict casualties. The Allies had to scale the steep, rocky slopes and root out the defenders from well dug-in positions. Heavy fighting continues in and round the turret top pillboxes and concrete gun emplacements which form the crown of the Apennine crests. “British and Indian troops have also taken the hill masses overlooking the Faenza road in the area of Razzolo and they now firmly cofltrol Monte Femmine, a feature which rises more than 3600 feet about 21 miles north-east of Florence, The Lucca-Camaiore rpad. which connects with the coastal highway, was secured when th stn Army captured Camaiore, six* miles northeast of the Via Reggio. The enemy has been reinforcing the sth Army front on the sector where the heaviest fighting has been taking place, and our troops are now facing veteran German divisions.’’ . . “German gun positions north of the river Marecchia were successfully bombed from the air to-day (Wednesday)writes a correspondent in Italy. “The Marecchia is likely to prove the first obstacle once the Bth Army_ is clear of the San Fortunate ridge, where fighting is in progress. Already 300 prisoners, including whole cpmpanies from (he Turcoman Division, nave been captured by the Canadians in this area. Two main roads from Rimini. Route 16 along the coast to Ravenna, and Route 9 to Bologna, may well lead to the splitting of the German forces as KeSselrmg may be forced to defend both roads approaching the gap between. Heavy fighting has again occurred in the western half of the sector towards San Martino.

NEW ADRIATIC OFFENSIVE

DALMATIA GARRISONS

ATTACKED

CLOSE CO-OPERATION WITH JUGOSLAVS

(Rec. 5.5 p.m.) / LONDON. Sept 20. Operations against enemy garrisons in .Dalmatia have begun and the islands of Mljet, Korcula, and Brae have now been liberated, according to an Allied communique. , , , , The Royal Navy, units of land forces in the Adriatic, and aircraft of the 12th Air Force gave close support to ground operations of the Jugoslav Army of National Liberation. Operations are continuing. A 500-ton ship, which had apparently run aground at Andros Island, was destroyed by rocket-firing Beauflghters,

FASCIST TRIED IN ROME

COLLABORATION WITH

GERMANS

(Rec. 5.5 p;m.) LONDON, Sept. 20. Great police precautions were taken in Rome when the trial of Pietro Caruso, the Fascist former chief of police, began, but only about GO of the public were present in the Court. The piace and time had been kept secret. Many hundreds of police surrounded the building and its approaches. Caruso was charged with collabor•ating with the Germans, also respomibilily for torturing political prisoners, and handing .over to the Germans a number of men who were subsequently shot, together with about 300 other victims. With Caruso. in the dock was Roberto Occhieto, his secretary. who faced similar charges. Caruso entered the Court on crutches as a result of injuries received in a car smash on June 4 while speeding from Rome as the Allies were marching into the southern part of the city. ■ The Court dismissed Caruso’s request for a stay of the proceedings until .after the war because of the absence of witnesses. ... Caruso for 65 minutes maintained that what he did was in obedience to superior orders. . Professor Ascarelli. president of the medical commission which examined the bodies of persons alleged to ;iaye been shot by the Germans in caves m Rome, said that 336 bodies had so far been found- <?f which 33 were headless, probably b a 9 a Use they hit in the neck by bullets. The victims, whose hand? had been tied behind their backs, were, made tp climb pver the bodies of those already dead so thgt a mound was formed. ' . . . Caruso, from the dock, sard that Kappler. of the German police, stating that he had orders from Kesselring to take reprisals for alleged attacks on the Germans, demanded 100 prisoners. Caruso claimed that he bad the number reduced to 50. . y