INITIAL HAZARDS CLEARED

Evening Star, Issue 24918, 16 July 1943, Page 3

INITIAL HAZARDS CLEARED

, SITUATION HOW MORE DIFFICULT FOR AXIS LONDON, July 15. ..... .".The battle for. bridgeheads is over, and the Allies are entering the Sicilian battle as a mainland force, with complete control of the mountain approaches, in the south-eastern area," says Renter's Algiers correspondent. "The British, Canadian, and American advances now gravely imperil Caltasrirone, the central entrance to the Ca,tanian Plain, as w.ell as Lentini and Garlentini, key villages on the road along which the Eighth Army is advancing towards Catania. The operations have now been cleared of the initial hazards, and the situation appears to be more difficult for the Axis than for the Allies. Our advance along the coast still appears to be rapid." " The fighting in Sicily has become a great battle, which is taking its course with increasing violence," says the Berlin radio's, military commentator, Captain Sertorius. "The Allies," he says, " are'receiving reinforcements continuously, and their attempts to penetrate inland are backed most efficiently by a far superior air force, which is operating ceaselessly. "ft cannot be said that the British and Americans are having a walk-over, and their progress in many placps is really very modest." Captain Sertorius

added. " They have won in the Italian zone the approaches to the south-east mountainous regions, and have forced a path to the Catania Plain. They are supported by a battle fleet. The offensive aims at the conquest of the whole of the east coast of the _ province of Messina, thus completely isolating the island from the Continent. It is obvious that the Axis High Command has already made adequate dispositions to prevent the achievement of this aim."