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Evening Post, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 73, 23 September 1943, Page 7

NEW ENEMY LINE

f(By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright.)

Rep. 12.20 p.m. ■.' . * ■ LONDON, September 22. The Germans are forming a defensive ring around Naples, says the "Daily Telegraph' 5 correspondent at Allied headquarters. Blasted from the bridgehead south of Salerno and pivoting back on the hills.north and north-east of that port, they are forming a new line which will face south instead of west. They are now busy digging in and blocking the approaches to Naples. The Fifth Army continues to regroup and move forward, says an Algiers communique. The twin towns of Mbntecorvino and Rovella, east of Salerno, and also San Cipriano, which is about six miles north-east of Salerno, have been captured by the Fifth Army. The Eighth Army has occupied the important town of Potenza.

Front-line news from Italy this evening supplementing the Algiers communique enables a clearer view of the pattern of operations ill which the Fifth and Eighth Armies are engaged. These are now shown to stretch from north of Salerno, almost straight across southern Italy to the opposite coast. The Eighth Army Has "reappeared" with the capture of Potenza, which is almost in the centre or the-southern Italian mainland and is one of its most vital communication centres. The capture of the town greatly increases the mobility of the main body of the Eighth Army which is still coming up from the south. Potenza is practically in line with Campagna, one ot the places in the Salerno area which the Fifth Army captured. Campagna lies a few miles west of Buccino. The Berlin radio commentator, Captain Sertorius, said tonight that the alone the east coast road. The British United Press correspondent at Allied headquarters says that an Allied patrol which stowed away on an Italian tram and rode most of the way to Potenza played an important part in the fall of the town ' The patrol jumped off the tram and moved into the hills overlooking Potlnlt For four days, they watched Ihe Germans and reported back to the Eighth Army. They also had a grandstand view of the Allied bombing of the town> Finally their information enabled the town to be. taken with a minimum of trouble. The British- United Press adds that there is little information of the fighting in what is called the Taranto area, though it is known that a stiff but small-scale engagement is going on somewhere north of Potenza, possibly in the Altamura area. Reuters correspondent at Ainea headquarters says that British foices took San Ipriano, the Americans took Campagna and Montecorvma and Ravella Wlien the Fifth Army-land-edl on the Salerno beaches the British •were allotted the northern zone and the Americans the southern sector. It was the British who captured Salerno town and mountain, and they.passed northward and north-eastward. me American sector saw some of.the bloodiest fighting before the bridgehead was firmly established. The plain of Salerno is littered with tanks and guns. Heavy casualties have ■been inflicted on the Germans, and large numbers of prisoners have been taken. A fair percentage of the pusoners are non-Germans. They are levies from, the controlled .countries, indicating a shortage of German man-, PPNew's from the Adriatic coast sector comes from a British United Press correspondent who says that the Germans, who are holding positions somewhere north of Bari, have been sendin°- down armoured patrols to probe the strength of. our advancing forces. As we advanced they . became less curious. The. Germans , are moving lack so fast that they have no time for demolitions, and as a result our troops are rolling over bridges which they expected to find blown up. Large fires and demolitions continue in Naples, which is covored by appall of smoke! indicating that Field-Mar-shal Kesselring is not prepared to al--low it to fall into Allied hands intact if his army cannot hold our troops in their' northward drive. Reports from neutral sources say that severe fighting is taking place m Naples between German and Italian troops and that many Italian officers and troops have been executed. TJae Germans are reported to have executed General Gonzaga, the Italian commander of the coast defences on the Gulf of Salerno, for non-co-opera-tion with the German forces. _ New Allied landings north of. Salerno indicate a fresh Allied offensive m the direction of Naples, says Paris xsclio Vichy radio said that the Germans made contact with the Eighth Army near Potenza, and added that a baale for Naples was imminent, but that so far activity was restricted to patrol clashes. ; German newspapers are preparing the public for the eventual loss of Crete, says the Stockholm correspondent of the "Daily Express." They say: "Crete has lost its former great strategic importance, and its defence does not.justify losses in beating off enemy attacks, which are expected any day.'