A HARD FIGHT

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 31, 5 August 1944, Page 9

A HARD FIGHT

ENEMY RESISTANCE

(Official War Correspondent N.Z.E.F.)

NEAR FLORENCE, August 2. "Can you see Florence?" "Oh, yes, we can see it all right, but you cannot keep your head up long here.' This was a conversation 1 heard at a New Zealand headquarters this morning over the wireless intercommunication with forward troops who had just driven the enemy from another height. The enemy still makes a fight of it and a hard one. but the New Zealanders' most notable move of the past 24 hours has been an advance on the left flank of about a mile to a feature 1000 yards or so south-east of Pian de Cem, the dominating feature now on that side. Our attack was made on a front of between 4000 and 5000 yards. . More notable incidents have been the knocking out of a Tiger tank by an anti-tank gun and the capture in a house of 30 prisoners. The attack began at 11 o'clock last night in moonlight, and the opposition stiffened as the troops advanced. The troops moved forward swiftly and from one house rounded up 30 Germans, including a company commander. By the early morning our men were firm on the objective after clearing up an enemy strong-point. A Tiger tank, the third which the New Zealanders have disposed of, had apparently skirted our minefields, but it fell victim to a 17----pounder gun which waited' until it was at close range before opening fire. The inside of the tank went up in flames.

On the centre and right of our sector the enemy had established a strong line of machine-gun posts and had tanks in support, fully realisms that any more New Zealand gains would leaa to their domination of Route 2, leading to Florence. Despite this opposition in the centre, our forward troops are now on the height of Poggiona, and consolidation is proceeding. The enemy took the initiative on the right flank with a counter-attack strongly supported by tank, machinegun, mortar, and shell fire. The enemy was held and the position there remains unchanged. The night was an eixtremely noisy one, and the enemy's heavy guns were more active than usual. Air co-operation for our advance has been provided on a large scale. This morning we saw Santa Maria, a hillside town on our left flank, bombed by Kittyhawks. The village and most of the hillside had a thorough pounding from bombs and shells, and columns of black smoke Which continued to rise after the raid seemed to indicate that enemy equipment had been hit. Italian villages do not burn. Last night bombers attacked targets immediately ahead of our advance, and they have been busy today silencing enemy guns as our troops move forward.