ON UPPER LIRI

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 209, 1 June 1944, Page 5

ON UPPER LIRI

New Zealand Drive

(Official War Correspondent. N.Z.E.F.) ATINA, May 29. Sweeping across the Smela River after the advance from the mountains north of Cassino, New Zealand troops have occupied most of the wide plain which leads into the Liri Valley. After the occupation of Atina, New Zealand engineers last night threw a bridge across the river, and supporting arms are pouring down into the plain to the assistance of the forward elements. This morning our troops dominated almost the entire valley and were pressing forward to clear the towns of Vicalvi and Alvito (about 18 miles north of Cassino). From Atino the road trends northwest to the important junction of Sora. Vicalvi bars the passage some six miles from Atina, like a miniature Monastery Hill.

From the pass above Atino the whole panorama of the battle unfolds. Yesterday I watched the first German shells falling on the road below Atina, showing 4hat the enemy had established some sort 6t artillery line after his precipitate retreat from Terelle and Belmonte. Today traffic was rolling freely through Atina toward where the height of Vicalvi reared through the haze. As we went down the road in a jeep a pitiful Stream of refugees toiling upward with the few possessions on their heads, passed me, and an occasional truck bore a burden of disconcolate prisoners, the total number of whom were taken by the division in this action now approaches a hundred. Civilians’ Flags.

The “Bailey Bridge” crossing the disappointing trickle of the Melfa was guarded by a specially dusty New Zealander, who gazed enviously at three • therg washing clothes in the stream. The road ran straight for another three miles. Vicalvi loomed close—a round hill topped by the regains of a huge mediaeval castle, on which wqs. painted a dingy red •ross.' To the right shone the clean-look-ing white buildings of Alvito. Suddenly our progress was halted by the startlingly close sound of machine-gun fire, followed by the crumps of mortars. The town was only about half a mile ahead. The absence of hostile gunfire had encouraged us to remain on the road much longer than ivas wise, but the fire stopped as abruptly as it started. Nearby were two New Zealand armoured cars, and from their crews we learned the story of their latest contact with the enemy. Early this morning an armoured car patrol counted six white flags flying from the castle and houses in the town. Cars and infantry went forward and entered the •utskirts of the village. Suddenly they were met by Spandau and mortar fire. Fanatical (iennan soldiers even tried to lob grenades into the open turrets of the cars. Our force withdrew, and since then any movements have been greeted with fire from the town. Apparently the white flags were hung out by Italian civilians in’ an atempt to prevent Allied shelling—a pardonable desire in the circumstances. Meanwhile, our troops pushed on into Alvito, part of which they now hold. A patrol scaled the heights above the town, but was driven in by heavy fire. For the moment there is a deadlock, but it will not last long. The Germans again have the advantage of position, but their numbers are small, and they seem to have only mortars and small arms.

As I watched, our 25-pounders wore Jka-JiiuixZ—

ing great plumes of smoke into the air above the ragged peaks. We made our way back, but had not gone far when the first enemy shell came in. If was an 88-millimetre, and seemed to come from the direction of Sandonato, in the northeast hills. Landing scarcely more than a hundred yards away with the wicked crack of its breed, It considerably accelerated our departure. _ The prisoners taken since the beginning of our drive are a strangely diversified lot. Coming largely from mountain divisions, they include Czechs and Austrians. One prisoner, a mountaineer, proudly wearing a green armband signifying service in the capture of Crete, repeated what many other prisoners have said during the past couple of weeks: that this was much worse than Russia: there wasn’t any Luftwaffe; it was just retreat, and retreat, always bounded by our guns and planes. Sympathy was notably lacking. He was getting just what he dished out in Greece L..an(l_C£eteLbut...ia..d«abio .doses, '<