ROME DEFENCES ATTACKED

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 206, 29 May 1944, Page 5

ROME DEFENCES ATTACKED

Threat Of Trap For 90,000 Germans MAIN ROAD SHELLED (By Telegraph. —Press Assn.—Copyright.) ’Received May 28, 10.40 p.m.) LONDON, May 28. Armoured spearheads are steadily edging closer to Velletri and Valmontone, keypoints in the defence of Rome, says Reuter’s correspondent at the advanced Allied headquarters. The Allies are within a few miles of both towns. American tanks and field guns from the beach-head have the German traffic on Highway 6 under fire. ' The Germans are fiercely resisting in the Velletri area, and all their available reserves have been thrown in. The British United Press correspondent states: “With the use of Highway 6 virtually denied to the Germans by the American gunfire, the German forces remaining from what was the Hitler Line and between it and the beach-head are now cut off.

"How many- of these 89,000 to 90,000 men will be able to escape before the road is cut is not known, but because of the destruction of vehicles and blocking of the road by our air forces large German forces are believed to be still in the Lepini hill area, south-east of Vahnontone.” A German spokesman, according to Vichy radio, said today: “Rome will not be defended because we have already declared it an open city some time ago.” “The extraordinarily heavy Allied artillery fire is the hardest thing the Germans have to face,” said a German colonel from Italy over Berlin radio. “Our supply roads are constantly subjected to bombing and strafing as well as artillery fire. Bringing up .supplies has become practically impossible. We have incredible difficulties.”

MANY TOWNS FALL Earlier Allied Advance (Received May 28, 8 p.m.) LONDON, May 27.

The Fifth Army yesterday captured Cori (nine miles south of Valmontone and about seven miles outside the former beach-head), and also San Giovanni (on the southern edge of the Liri Valley). The Eighth Army captured Roccasecca and Monte Cairo.

Reuter's correspondent at Allied headquarters yesterday said: “The Fifth Army is now attacking Kesselring’s last possible defence line before Rome, of which Velletri is a strongpoint. _ The Allies are three miles from Velletri and 21 miles from Rome.”

Today Allied forces from the beachhead are racing to cut the Rome-Cassino road, the main escape route, for Field; Marshal Kesselring’s forces in the Liri Valley and the remainder of the southern part of the front, says a Reuter report. Our spearhead yesterday approached Artena, 2i miles south of Valmontone. If the Rome-Cassino road is cut a considerable part of the German army in the south will face a threat, of being trapped. Serious Blow.

The Germans appear to be thinning out their forces on the Allied left flank. The loss of San Giovanni and Pastena, west of Cassino, is a serious blow to Kesselring’s defence system. He is now clearly making desperate efforts to get the remainder of his disorganized forces under control. The Allies have also captured Sezze. north-east of Littoria. According to Algiers radio, the Allies have by-passed Velletri, on the Appian Way, on the eastern side. Other Allied forces are pushing along the Rome road, increasing the threat. Reuter's correspondent with the Eighth Army reports that the Liri Valley is almost, clear of the Germans, but theie are still a number near the western edge. The Fifth Army continues mopping up the Monte Cairo hills. The Germans have been forced to pull back their artillciy and are now using night bombers over the Eighth Army front line. “The Germans arc putting up stubborn defence along the Cori-Valmontone road, writes a correspondent with the r HUi Armv near Arteiia. “This morning 1 watched American infantry battling to force a wav through cleverly concealed snipers posts to a vine-covered pergola. Tanks, had penetrated up the road overnight but had been forced to withdraw to await the arrival of the infantry, who opened up their attack at dawn. • Truculent Prisoners. “Five and a half hours later the battle is still in progress, and Allied guns are being brought to bear on the Gerinati P 0 tions. A commanding hill rising steeply to tile south of lhe roadway has provided excellent vantage points for' inc Germans, who by now are accustomed to fighting rearguard actions. The hill being steadily cleared, and I saw i>o Prisoners, including two officers, brought in. They immediately •clamoured lor food and Water, declaring they bad had neither for three days, but their truculent bearing was hardly I hat of men in <.ue straits of starvation. “The Germans abandoned a held liospitai during their withdrawal along the Cori-Valmontone road. The road is a veritable graveyard of Nazi equipment; burnt-out tanks and lorries and overturned guns are strewn on both sides. Ims is a tribute to the excellent work ot our fighter-bombers, which strafed and uoniDed the withdrawing Nazi convoys. “Of 12 Tiger tanks over halt seeintt. to have been set fire by the crews mefore they were abandoned, as they bore no sign of having been shot up. One huge 150m.m. field piece was among the abandoned artillery. Other held guns have been left behind on the 1 elletn sectol,i'he Exchange Telegraph corespondent reports that the Allies at Cisterna took prisoner 2<i(H>. including the commander of the 954th German Infantry la„‘ment and his staff. . . The liberated areas are organizing . a return to civilian life. A civil aftairs

officer has already moved into battered Pontecorvo and has received 20 days’ food for the 12.000 inhabitants, who are in a filthy condition and are being paraded for baths in the river. A finance officer is bringing supplies of currency which has been completely lacking for many weeks. The German news agency, quoting a High Command report, says the Allies have been using amphibious tanks to cross parts of the Pontine marshes.