BUSHED IN SECRET

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 124, 21 February 1944, Page 5

BUSHED IN SECRET

N.Z. Troops To Cassino Sector IN LATEST ATTACK (Received February 20, 8 p.m.) RUGBY, February 19. The Anzio beach-head lines, backed again by naval guns, are holding intact against unabated onslaughts by enemy infantry and tanks. In the Cassino area two heights have been wrested,from the Germans after hard fighting to the west of Montecassino, states the Italy land communique. In attacks on this sector troops of New Zealand and lndian formations are taking part. Attacks against our positions on one other sector of the main Fifth Army front were repulsed. The New Zealand troops were rushed under conditions of the strictest secrecy, from the place where they were resting in reserve, to strengthen the Ffth Army’s assault on Cassino, states an agency war correspondent at Allied Force headquarters. “Trained as night fighters, the New Zealanders went into the attack, employing devastating bayonet tacticSj on Thursday night and the early hours of yesterday. I am not allowed to state on which sector they are fighting, but as usual they got their objective.’’

Against the Fifth Army positions in the Anzio beach-head the enemy continues to hurl troops and tanks. The enemy losses have been heavy. Our lines are intact, and we launched several successful local counter-attacks.

On'the Eighth Army front patrols are active. Polish troops took some German prisoners.

Th eair communique says that the weather curtailed operations yesterday, but light bombers attacked troops at Carrocetto and Sezze, eight miles east of Littorio. Fighters patrolled the beachhead. Bombers last night continued to attack enemy communications to the north.jif. Anzio. The enemy lost three aircraft, during the day, we lost one. We flew about 300 sortieg, while enemy sorties over the beach-head numbered about 100.

The naval" communique says that gunfire support from our ships was continued in the Anzio area.

Devastating Attacks. The correspondent reports that devastating attacks were launched by Allied troops along the Rapido IRiver at Cassino town. Elements of the Allied forces now "hold the railway station a mile south of Cassino [a later message states the station "has been evaluated]. On all sectors of the Cassino front the Germans are resisting furiously. With the town almost completely surrounded Allied attacks continue grimly and the offensive is developing in ferocity hour by hour,” says the correspondent. Some significance is attached- by military observers in London to the capture of the two crests west of Monte Cassino. Positions round there are undoubtedly the key to that part of the front, and the Germans made every effort to prevent us taking them. Field'-Marshal Kesselring , employed four divisions in yesterday’s onslaught on the northern sector of the Anzio beach-head, according to a United Nations military commentator in Algiers, who described it as a full-scale attack designed to fling the Allied forces back into the sea. These four divisions included one not previously identified in ■ Italy. Forced to Give Ground. “The attack,” said this commentator, “was launched against our positions along the Anzio-Albauo road, and in the face of heavy attacks by infantry and tanks the Allies had to give some ground in the neighbourhood of Carrocetto. An Allied counter-attack inflicted very heavy casualties on- the enemy, aud we continue to make progress. The Germans continued to apply pressure against other parts of the beach-head.” Yesterday’s fighting round the Anzio beach-head was as fierce as any yet experienced in Italy, according to detailed dispatches from the area. “The enemy renewed his attack this morning,” says one correspondent cabling yesterday, “and by dawn the area to the south of Carrocetto along the- main Anzio-Albano road was again a boiling cauldron of shellfire. All the enemy punches were supported by tanks, though we are not on ground where we can employ them on our largest scale. “Yesterday was crystal clear, and our air effort was the strongest support I have yet seen given ground troops, but today the weather made it impossible to exploit our air superiority. Fighterbombers have been the main air weapon of both sides. “The German losses in the Anzio fighting are on the largest scale, but ■■ the enemy would accept heavier if he could force a decision. We expect no let-up tomorrow in the battle’s fury.” .Five hundred German troops on one sector, preparing to advance against northerly positions in the beach-head were wiped out yesterday by Allied tanks. One officer told the correspondent. it was just plain slaughter. The enemy, however, is still working on the assumption that by throwing in sufficient numbers they must make progress. Some prisoners were taken on Friday, and the enemy’s casualties continue to increase.

The latest reports say that hard fighting continued in the beach-head on Saturday with no sign yet that the enemy has expended his effort. " Allied tanks are playing a splendid part in stopping enemy thrusts. The bloody square mile north and east of the famous fly-over bridge on the main road from Carrocetto is now the stage for a struggle as savage as any "yet waged in Italy. Our guns are pouring an immense weight of shells into this tiny patch of churned-up ploughland. There is little cover for either side. Our forward infantry have to hang on in slit trenches under a pitiless rain of German shellfire. Overhead our bombers are flying in the greatest formations we have yet seen to aid the hardpressed infantry. A correspondent, from our gun line, watched our bombers laying bombs only 300 yards in front of our forward units. Port Anzio is undoubtedly the enemy’s main objective, but he has nowhere yet approached our main defence lines.

Berlin radio admitted that the German line was pierced at several points on the Cassino front, but claimed that the attacks were eventually thrown back. •Rome radio said the battle had developed on a broad front.