LATEST SUCCESS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 126, 30 May 1944, Page 6

LATEST SUCCESS

NEW ZEALAND TROOPS j

ENEMY STRONGHOLD TAKEN (Official War Correspondent, N.Z.E.F.)

ITALY, May 29,

Continuing their advance on the extreme right of the Eighth Army drive, New Zealand forces have taken Atina, an enemy gun stronghold three miles north of Belmonte, north of Cassino, and have made good progress towards Sora, which lios astride main highway No. 82.

Away back in the hills behind Monte Cairo there is a great stream of New Zealand infantry, artillery, tanks, engineers, and every other essential chasing the harcj-pressed Germans from vantage poiuts which they have occupied for many months. Most of these have been gun positions among the heights dominating the approaches to the Liri Valley.

The valley up which the New Zealanders advanced has been subjected to much shelling, and destroyed transport, mostly French, lies on the roadside. Dead mules have not yet been buried. You pass Teralla and Belmonte, both much shell-torn and almost deserted, and in the dust-laden air bounce over the shell-shattered road to the heights above Atina.

There is a German cemetery nearby, With many dozens of graves. This afternoon the township of Atina and the road beyond were being chelled, but New Zealand guns had already been brought into position to reply. It seemed that while establishing a new gun line the enemy was making much use of machine-guns, the noise of which was incessant between that of the shell-bursts. Engineers have had a busy time clearing roads of mines and filling in shell-holes. Demolitions have been extensive. Such has been the speed of the New Zealand advance -that groups of Germans have been caught unawares and taken without resistance.