MOUNTAIN POSITIONS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 112, 13 May 1944, Page 7

MOUNTAIN POSITIONS

SEVERAL OCCUPIED •«,-„. * LONDON, May 12. ■ With the new Allied offensive in Italy close on 24 hours old, reports are beginning to filter through teilfng ol a satisfactory first day. One correspondent at Allied advanced headquarters says thait messages received there late this' afternoon report the occupation of several enemy mountain positions. •' ; ■ All correspondents refer to the great support for our troops from both guns , and aircraft. British and American warships offshore took part in last night's great barrage, and today there was another terrific bombardment by guns of both the attacking armies. As an instance of the co-operation achieved, correspondents say that sometimes General- Clark's Fifth Army batteries support General Sir Oliver Lease's Eight Army troops, and at other times vice versa. It has been a hot, sunny day iti Italy, though early morning mists took some time to clear and held up the bombing of some of the targets. A correspondent who flew over the front this morning says that our gun barrage made an impressive sight, flashing, and smoking against a background of deep valleys and snowcapped mountains. Even more impressive was- the sight of hundreds of bombers going in to attack. . Great fleets of medium and fighter-bombers were out as well, some to bomb German front-line targets such as observation posts, gun emplacements, mortar batteries,, and troop concentrations, and others to strike further 'afield at railway bridges, road transport, and harbours. The main port of Rome, Civitavecchia, was among the places hit. A correspondent describes how Warhawks dived on German troops at Cassino as they were forming up for battle in a river-bed, and. covered them with a close pattern of bombs. Other Warhawks were out over the battered Cassino Monastery and enemy observation posts nearby.