AGAINST STRONG GUNFIRE

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 309, 24 September 1943, Page 7

AGAINST STRONG GUNFIRE

Advance Along Hills (By Telegraph. —Press Assn. —Copyright.) LONDON, September 22.

Front-line news from Italy this evening enables a clearer view of tiie patera of operations in which the Fifth and Eighth Armies are engaged. These are now shown to stretch from north of Salerno, almost straight across southern Italy to the opposite coast. 'The Eighth Army is advancing on the right flank of the Americans, who are on the right flank of the British troops ot tiie Fifth Army. Tiie Fifth Army is continuing to push steadily to the north and east of Salerno. The beach-head area lies behind them now, and they are fighting in mountainous country, where guns have to be manhandled and the slopes are so slippery that it is almost impossible to stand lip. They arc advancing m the face of strong artillery, machinegun and mortar fire. The twin towns of Montecorvino and Rovella, east, of Salerno, and also. San Cipriano, which is about six miles northeast of Salerno, have been captured by the Fifth Army. Feat by Allied Patrol. 'Plie Eighth Army has “reappeared” with the capture of Potenza, which is almost in the centre of the southern Italian mainland and is one of its most vital communication centres. The capture.of the town greatly increases the mobility of Hie main body of the Eighth Army which is still coming up from the south. An Allied patrol which stowed away on an Italian train and rode most of the wav to Potenza played an important part in tiie fall of the town. - Tiie patrol jumped off the train and moved into the hills overlooking Potenza. For four days they watched the Germans and reported back to tiie Eighth Army. They also had a grandstand view of the Allied bombing of the town. Finally their information enabled tlic town to be taken with a minimum of trouble.

The British United Press correspondent says there is little information of the fighting in what is called the Taranto area, though it is known that a stiff but small-scale engagement is going on somewhere north of Potenza, possibly in the Altamura area.

The correspondent says that on the Adriatic coast sector the Germans, who are holding positions somewhere north of Bari, have been sending down armoured patrols to probe . the strength of our advancing forces. As we advanced they became less curious. The Germans are moving back so fast that they have no time for demolitions, and as a result our troops are rolling over bridges which they expected to find blown up. Acquisition of Airfields.

A correspondent' reports that the entire Salerno Valley has been cleared of the Germans, and that the Fifth Army on this sector is pursuing the enemy into the hills many iniles back from the landing beaches. With the acquisition of airfields, the Allied air strength has grown tremendously. The Luftwaffe will need to be in full strength if it intends to cops with Air Chief Marshal Tedder’s forces. Under permanent air cover, troops and supplies continue to pour into the original beach-head, which now looks more like a great new port in the stage of construction than the bathing resort it was two weeks ago. American engineers have done Wonders building devices to ensure rapid unloading. When the Fifth Army landed on the Salerno beaches the British were allotted the northern zone and the Americans the southern sector. It was tiie British who captured Salerno town and mountain. and they passed northward and north-eastward. 'The American sector saw some of the bloodiest fighting before the bridgehead was firmly established. The plain of Salerno is littered with tanks and guns. Heavy casualties have been inflicted on the Germans, and large numbers of prisoners have been taken. A fair percentage of the prisoners are non-Gerinans.. They are levies from Hie controlled countries, indicating a shortage of German manpower.

DEFENCE RING ROUND NAPLES

LONDON, September 22. 'fhe Germans are forming a defensive ring round Naples, says the “Daily Telegraph” correspondent at Allied headquarters. Blasted from the bridgehead south of Salerno and pivoting back on the hills north and north-east of that port, they are forming a new line which will face south instead of west. They are now busy digging in and blocking the approaches to Naples. New Allied landings north of Salerno indicate a fresh Allied offensive in the direction of Naples, says Paris radio. Vichy radio said that the Germans made contact with the Eighth Army near Fotenza, and added that a battle for Naples was imminent, but that, so far activity was restricted to patrol clashes.