LIMITED GAINS

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 65, 11 December 1943, Page 7

LIMITED GAINS

Heights Cleared By Fifth Army HEAVY FIGHTING (By Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright.) (Received December 10, 7 p.m.) LONDON, December 9. Heavy lighting is still going on all over the Fifth Army front. The little village of Calabrlto, in the centre of the mountainous region, after having changed bands several times, is now believed to be firmly in British hands. The whole of the two great hill massifs of Maggiore and Camino are now occupied by the Fifth Army, except the north-west tip of Mt. Maggiore and the village of Rocca cliVandro and Mt. Camino. Allied headquarters in North Africa reports a. number of localized actions on the Fifth Army front in which the troops made limited advances. A correspondent says that the operation in which Mt. Camino and Mt. Maggiore were taken is part of the process of forcing a passage through the Mignano gap into the broad valley beyond'. The fact that General Clark has been able to employ both nationalities in such a small sector is evidence of the high degree of integration achieved by his British and American army. British troops, after taking the village of Monte Croce, advanced north of the Capua-Rome road, west of Venafro. American troops captured more high ground. Everywhere the enemy is resisting fiercely, making copious use of artillery. The enemy is still entrenching himself, and has erected many pillboxes west of Filignano. These nre being reduced. The Swiss radio reported tonight that the Fifth Array had occupied Mignano.. Berlin radio stated that about, a division of Italian troops is at present operating in the American sector of the Fifth Army front. On Adriatic Coast.

The main fighting on the Eighth Army front is near Orsogna, where the Germans are using tanks. This side of the Apennines the weather is still very bad. The Allied communique reports: “Troops of the Eighth Army remain closed in action against the enemy in the area of the Adriatic coast. There was heavy fighting in the vicinity of Orsogna, and our troops improved their positions. Bad weather has continued to restrict operations.” The British advance beyond the bangro River to the Morro line has been followed by expected German counter-at-tacks. and a new advance by the Eighth Army is now likely. Algiers radio reports that another bridgehead has been established across the Morro just south of Ortona., According to Paris radio, advanced units of the Eighth Army have reached the suburbs of Ortona. Reuter’s Algiers correspondent reports that Field-Marshal Kesselring is throwing in fresh panzer grenadiers in an* effort to stem at all costs the Eighth Army’s drive for Peseara. Enemy Uses Flame-Throwers.

Making fresh use of their flame-throw-ing tanks, the Germans have launched a series of fierce counter-attacks against the Eighth Army in the past 24 hours, writes a war correspondent in Italy. The counter-attacks were the most determined efforts the enemy has made to drive back our forces since the battering of the Sangro line. It was more than a week since the enemy last used flame-throwers. and on Tuesday night he reintroduced them in the foothills of the Majella mountains, at the western end of the Eighth Army’s 15-mile Adriatic front. With tanks and infantry supporting the flame-throwers, the enemy threw in two attacks before midnight against our troops holding high ground near Orsogna. The enemy carefully screened the flame-throwers with his remaining armoured vehicles, as though not wishing to risk exposing them. When his infantry closed on our positions heavy fighting took place. Further evidence of the stiffening of the enemy’s resistance came at the other end of the front near the sea, where he made three counter-attacks against bridgebeads across the Morro River. In this sector the enemy concentrated most of his available artillery, including three batteries of self-propelled guns. The enemy used tanks in small groups of five or six to support attacks made by infantry. but nil attempts to drive a wedge into the bridgehead close to the village of Rotti failed and cost him casualties.

BEYOND THE SANGRO Recent Important Advance

By New Zealanders

N.Z.E.F. Official News Service. EIGHTH ARMY FRONT, Dec. 2. In a steady advance yesterday afternoon and last night, New Zealand troops have broken through the Germans’ prepared defences north of the Sangro River. Our forces suffered some casualties, but they were not heavy considering the importance of the advance. Enemy counterattacks in moderate force were withstood. Many prisoners have been taken, so many, in fact, that they are proving an embarrassment and messages have been sent hack asking that they be relieved of their encumbrances. Our infantry at dawn today entered a village which during the past few days has been one of the main bombing objectives. They found it littered with German dead. The main opposition to our infantry advance was from mortars ano machineguns and there were many booby traps and mines. In spite of all opposition. the New Zealanders forced the German's from their strong dug-in defences. By the time they reached them, our troops found that these positions were not fully manned but there were still plenty of Germans to be taken prisoner. Features overlooking a lateral road were occupied by midnight and at dawn the New Zealanders entered the stricken village, which was battered and wrecked to such a state as they had not seen before. A broad highway was shelled solidlv bv the enemy, but our guns continued oil. directing fire at mortar and machinegun posts as they went. Prisoners taken seemed pleased to be finished with the war, which since the opening of the attack on the Sangro line has brought, on them a terrific weight of air and ground pounding. Evidence of the strength Of this attack was to ho seen on all sides, and enemy casualties must have been heavy. The infantry attack, which was bv do means full-scale, was a complete success, and it was achieved at minimum cost. It is too early yet to assess the enemy losses of equipment.