THE WEATHER FACTOR

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 118, 14 February 1944, Page 5

THE WEATHER FACTOR

Allied Sea And Air Control

LONDON, February IL President Roosevelt, at a Press conference, described the situation at the beach-head below Rome as very tense, but called attention to the Allies control of sea and air. “We are praying for good weather,” he said, “which will be quite a factor in deciding the issue because it would facilitate aerial and naval operations in support of the beachhead.” _ “The full story of the Allied failure to exploit the initial success at the Anzio beach-head is still untold l ,*’ says the Algiers correspondent of the British United Press. “It will not be told because headquarters still believes the people of Britain and America must be shielded from anything unpleasant. • . “This, however, can be said: the invaders lost the initiative and failed to break the stalemate on the main southern front. The invasion brought the Allies no nearer to the capture of Rome. The Allied forces face crack German pilots and tank forces in strength not previously met in Italy. *' “Witnesses from Italy believe that the landing south of Rome could be a definite liability if it failed to divert enough Germans from the main front to enable the Allies to penetrate the Gustav Line. Any landing force must feel itself to be in a tough spot when it is surrounded by six enemy divisions, with only the sea at its back. . “Mr. Roosevelt’s statement tonight that the beach-head situation is tense, is merely what correspondents at Allied headquarters have been expecting for a week. Thqjyeather last week was one of the main beach-head troubles, hindering both the landing of supplies and air support, and also the movement of troops which General Clark might be planning to send to the beach-head.” Effect On Second Front

The military writer of the New York newspaper “iPM” says that the slow Allied, progress in Italy has delayed the opening of the second front, and adds: “We knew the Germans would fight us in Italy, but we didn’t know how hard. Hitler’s strategic advisers saw a chance of stalling off the continental invasion by iudicious expenditure in. Italy, and poured in reserves from France and Germany. These forces were sufficient to clog -the Allied advance short of its prime objective—Rome. Every day we spend l trying to capture Italy adds to the powerful fortifications of Europe.” The first major beach-head crisis south of Rome is past its peak, and the Allied lines are holding, says the Algiers correspondent of the British United Press. The enemy's big armoured drive is losing its first sting. Illis attempts to drive a deep wedge into the Allied beach-head and split our lines have failed. The British and American forces, however, are still unainly on the defensive. ■ Reports indicate -that the 'Germans went all out to drive a strong armoured column through the Allied lines to the sea. Massed Allied artillery blunted the German armoured spearhead and the enemy column itself was split. The Germans are still nibbling at our lines and have made some gains. Our defensive lines are being tightened in the expectation of a new major onslaught. Allied heavy bombers yesterday, came to the aid of our ground forces in the beach-head area just as they did at Salerno, where they saved the day for the Allies. Heavy bombers blasted German troop concentrations right in the battle area. This is most unusual for heavy bombers, whose targets are usually well behind the enemy lines. The German radio claims that 4100 Allied troops have been taken prisoner since the landings in the Nettuno area, and adds that the Germans are six miles from Nettuno and Anzio.