GERMANS DIVERTED FROM HIGHWAY

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 210, 2 June 1944, Page 5

GERMANS DIVERTED FROM HIGHWAY

Frosinone Withdrawal (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, May 31. rhe American grip on Vollctri has been tighteiw/I considerably during the past eighteen hours by the capture of strategically important high ground following a lightning thrust during the night, states a correspondent with the I’ifth Army. The Allies are hammering the last defence of the Rome line at three other points, and progress has been made all along the line. Tanks for the fourth day have been battering against Kesselring's line in the Campoleone area, and have made further advances after beating off counter-attacks and destroying three German tanks. The British are advancing from positions astride the Ardea-Campoleone road further into the German line, in spite of the fact' that they are operating in terrain which is particularly difficult for infantry. German transport behind the Eighth

• Army front is now leaving Highway 6 > at Frosinone and making its way over a tortuous secondary road running northward. A natural bottleneck on this road is the little town of Subiaco, nearly 30 miles east of Rome. Here last week a block made by medium bombers started a traffic jam that gave fighter-bombers their best day of transport blitzing. Early yesterday morning a Kittybomber squadron of the Desert Air Force found a big German convoy halted near Subiaco. Bombers cratered the road at both ends of the convoy to prevent attempts at escape, and then, with Mustangs, waded into the convoy, destroying 97 vehicles and damaging scores ol others. Bostons later joined in, and with fighter'and light bombers destroyed over 100 more in the battle area and north of Rome, where they also hit bridges, command posts, and bivouac areas, further dislocating German road movements. Marauders bombed five bridges along the Tiber above and below Rome. The Duttwaffe opposition was again very light, Wellingtons last night added to the I chaos at Subiaco