NAZI PLIGHT IN ITALY

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 254, 24 July 1944, Page 6

NAZI PLIGHT IN ITALY

Army’s Withdrawal Held Likely MYSTERY OF DUCE’S MOVEMENTS <By Telegraph.:—Press, Assn. —Copyright.) (Received July 23, 8.30 p.m.) LONDON, July 22. The likelihood of the early withdrawal of the German army from Italy is suggested among unconfirmed reports flooding in from neutral capitals on the German situationReuter's Zurich correspondent quotes the newspaper “Derbund's” Chiasso correspondent who, linking up this possibility with Mussolini's visit to Hitler immediately after the assassination attempt, says: “The conviction prevails that Hitler wanted to inform Mussolini personally of the German High Command’s decisions concerning the Italian campaign. It Is concluded that these decisions were of an extremely grave nature, and that the Wehrmacht’s early withdrawal from Italy is likely.” - “La Suisse's” Chiasso correspondent says that Fascist circles in north Italy are extremely worried as it is assumed Mussolini has left Italy for good. His villa at Lake Garda is locked up and all his collaborators are already across the Brenner Pass. , The German controlled Stefam Italian news agency issued the text of an order instructing Germans in Italy to begin.action “in a most energetic manner against armed rebel bands of saboteurs and criminals.” The order instructs Germans to seize hostages in localities where armed bands operate and shoot the hostages every time an act of sabotage occurs. The order adds: “Carry out acts of retaliation even to the point of burning down civilian houses in areas where attacks are made against German military detachments. Hang in public squares all persons guilty of collaboration with the rebel leaders.”

DRIVE ON FLORENCE

Difficult Tank Terrain (Received July 23, 5.40 p.m.) LONDON, July 22. . The Fifth and Eighth Armies are converging against Florence from three directions, says the Home correspondent of the Associated Press of Great, Britain. One formation as the result of the capture of Tavernelle is only 14 miles from the city. The British Eighth Army is fighting in the area of iSaugiovanni in the upper Arno valley, IS miles south-west of Florence. Fifth Army and German longrange guns are at present in action north of the Arno River in an area where American patrols are now four miles from Pisa. Germans taken prisoner in the Else valley revealed that they were destined for the Russian front, but were switched to Italy; The Germans have sent six fresh divisions to Italy since the opening of the Allied offensive on May 11. The Fifth Army has captured Castcl Fiorentino. British forces moving on to Florence are advancing through gully scored country and sandy soil which renders difficult the task of tanks. These are unable to negotiate the steep sides of wadis, and find themselves confined to tracks which are easily covered by German fire. The Germans are using, extensively their version of the American Bazooka rocket anti-tank weapon. They ;have proved inaccurate unless tired at very close range, but are capable, of indicting damage on armoured vehicles. There is evidence that the. Germans are preparing to defend the “Karin” line some four miles up the Arno valley from Katerina, which runs into the southern spurs of the Apennines on the right flank. For the past two days the Germans have been throwing harassing fire into Leghorn in an effort to. disrupt our restoration of the port. Fifth Army engineers found that every potentially ■valuable facility at the port., had been methodically destrojred. Eight ships were sunk in tjie northern approaches to the harbour and eight more to the south, and the quays have been blown up so thoroughly that they, have to be rebuilt. Not one crane is intact and the harbours and approaches are mined. At present the enemy has clear observation of the port from Monte Bisano Zuxee, 1000-foot hill overlooking both Leghorn and Pisa.