Fifth Army In Italy

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 65, 14 September 1943, Page 5

Fifth Army In Italy

SEVERER THAI^ IN SICILY

(By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright.)

Eec. 12.40 p.m. ' LONDON, September 13. The Fifth Army is still locked in desperate fighting against the Germans near Salerno, while the Eighth Army in Calabria is making' a steady advance as General Montgomery is doing- his utmost to link ub the two Allied armies with all possible speed.

Reuters correspondent says that the Fifth Army is battling against a determined enemy who is entrenched in strong positions in the hills behind Salerno. The battle is a series of grim attacks and counter-attacks. The fighting is much more severe than after the landings in Sicily. The Germans have made a series of counterattacks with tanks in the past 48 hours, all of which were beaten off. Allied armour has also been landed, but there are no reports yet of armoured clashes.

The Eighth Army has covered about 70 miles in the past three 'days and now is a little over 100 miles from the Fifth Army. The Eighth Army is now in the mountainous instep of the foot of Italy, where progress may be delayed by difficult country and continuous demolitions.

There are now no Germans south of a line running due west across the base of the toe of Italy from Cotrorie to the west coast of Calabria. The whole Apulian Peninsula, comprising the heel of Italy, is also in our hands. \

Altamura, which has been captured by the Allies, is an important road junction where the route from Ban joins the highway from Taranto to Salerno. ■ ' . Crack German troops are desperately resisting the' Allies about two miles north of Salernp. says an American broadcast from Algiers. We are using Salerno harbour, which is under fire from German artillery. In the toe of Italy the Germans are evacuating part of their forces by air. According to Berlin radio, three Allied divisions which are pushing inland over 10 miles frdm the coast south of Salerno are battering against German forces blocking the road to Potenza, in the centre of the mainland. They reached Eboli. 16 miles from Salerno, where heavy fighting is going on, after attacks northwards towards Naples had failed. , The British United Press points, out that these reports, if true, indicate'that the Allies are moving across the ankle of Italy, probably intending to cut. off the whole foot. , Algiers radio announced today that the Allies are now in possession of ten large aerodromes in southern Italy, including those at Gfottaglie and Lecce. Allied planes are still effectively preventing large-scale enemy air interference with our land operations. Reports from Allied headquarters state that R.A.F. Spitfires and American Lightnings yesterday broke up two of the enemy's biggest efforts to attack bridgeheads. Between 90 and 100 enemy fighters were encountered during the day. Our' planes, on the other hand, took heavy toll of enemy transport. Invaders, sweeping low over roads in the Salerno area, destroyed or damaged 365' lorries.