A CRUSHING BARRAGE

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 148, 20 December 1943, Page 5

A CRUSHING BARRAGE

Eee. 11 a.m. RUGBY, December 19. German, troops canie out waving the white flag, while others who broke and ran were mown down, when Canadian tanks pierced the enemy line just west of Ortona today, states a correspondent with the Eighth -Army. The , tanks were supporting infantry that had punched into the German positions following an artillery attack in which many thousands of shells were rained on a limited section of the front within a few minutes.

The tanks and infantry, under a creeping barrage, were able to get right into the German positions, and many of the enemy troops climbed from their foxholes, unable to put up any fight, go badly were they shaken. It was the heaviest barrage the Canadians had ever put down. It began at 8 a.m., and was concentrated on a narrow strip of ground north of the point where the lateral road from Orsogna. joins the main coastal road.

Twenty-five-pounders and mediums fired over 1000 rounds a minute, and the great cloud of smoke that rose could be seen many miles back. After twenty minutes the tanks and infantry began to move forward, keeping close to the barrage, and were quickly on top of the German positions.

Parachutists whom the Germans had rushed into the line to replace the battered "Ninetieth Light," and who are noted for their toughness, were holding the positions, but there was,nothing tough about them this morumg. As our tanks broke right into their positions some of the enemy came oux dazed and surrendered to the infantry, which was up with the tanks. Others tried to put up a fight, but stood little chance.

"The colonel of one tank regiment sent back a wireless signal; 'Have contacted the enemy. Having a field day, The German guns endeavoured to come to the rescue of the parachutists by shelling our tanks and infantry, but they were quickly engaged by guns and fighter-bombers. Within a couple of hours our forces had complete command of the positions, and had taken quite a large bag of prisoners, and had killed quite a number of Germans. While the prisoners were being shepherded back, the tanks and infantry began exploiting further, forward. Our guns again gave excellent suppor^,"The Indians also made further, .progress through the hills Jto^y>,'."."The enemy resistance came principally from groups of tanks^and small packets of infantry. . .--r»A •■>;>• - "The New l ,<Zealan ( ders have reached the outskir^bf .Orsogna, inside which the enemy rs.tilVappears to have a number of troops, although he has fired some buildings in the town and carried out demolitions." There are indications that the" enemy is softening on the Fifth Army front, and the present progress shows that •where the Germans have made withdrawals they have done so hurriedly, without any planned scheme. They have been using more fighters in recent actions. German snipers have also been active, staying behind the main retreat to glay a desperate and often a suicide role in the wooded mountain slopes.—B.O/W.

faith >and Allied sympathies, and also that the transfer involves no commitment to the Badoglio Government after the capture of Rome. . The Italian administration would, .in. accordance with the terms of the armistice, be subject to the guidance and instructions of the Allied Italian Control Commission. The Advisory Council drew up the recommendations in Algiers under the chairmanship of Mr. Robert Murphy, the American representative in North Africa. Others present were M. Vyshinsky, representing Russia, M. Massigli, France,, and Mr. Roger Makins, who deputised for Mr. Harold Macmillan for Britain. British police are serving with Amgot in Italy ' and Sicily. . Their work includes the organisation of health services and restarting disorganised railways, water supplies, food services and industries, and ranges over the whole field of civil administration. The British Home Secretary, Mr. Morrison, stated that he had received most gratifying reports about their work.