PROGRESS IN ITALY

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 January 1944, Page 5

PROGRESS IN ITALY

FIFTH ARMY HOLD GAINS

■ FOOTHOLD IN THE HILLS

LONDON, January 21. Pressure on the enemy is being maintained on both fronts in Italy, says to-day’s communique from Allied Headquarters in North Africa. “Troops of the sth Army have improved their positions. Minturno was captured after heavy fighting. The enemy made several local counter-at-tacks in the Garigliano sector. All of these were repulsed.” Allied cruisers and destroyers, the communique continues, bombarded enemy positions on the sea coast, m support of the sth Army, on January 18 and 19. Enemy counter-five from shore batteries was light. One ship suffered slight damage. In widespread air operations, strategical and tactical, five enemy aircraft were destroyed, and two Allied aircraft did not return. Correspondents’ dispatches say that the British troops across the Garigliano river have secured a foothold in the foothalls. They fought their way from the valley floor and captured heights of between 400 and 500 feet. They are now fighting on the slopes of the Aurunci mountains, which go up to about 3000 feet. Prisoners captured in. the advance are beginning to come back. The Germans are putting up a particularly strong resistance in the defence of Castelforte, which is seriously threatened'as the Allies close in.

NAVAL AND AERIAL ACTIVITY

RUGBY, January 21. Pressure is maintained against the enemy on both fronts in Italy, states the ‘ Allied communique. British troops of the Fifth Army improved their position. Minturno was captured after hard fighting. The enemy launched a number of counterattacks but all were successfully repulsed. In support of the Fifth Army attack across the Garigliano, British destroyers shelled shore positions on Tuesday and Wednesday. Opposition from enemy batteries was slight. One ship suffered minor damage but not casualties. In the Adriatic our destroyers shelled the harbour of Vala Luka in Kircula on Tuesday night. Enemy airfields were again attacked by our heavy bombers, escorted by long-range fighters yesterday. Ciampino, north and south, Centocelle and Cuodonia, all received many high-explosives and fragmentation bombs. The railway yards at Viterbo were attacked by medium bombers. Fighters and fighter-bombers were active in support of ground forces attacking bridges, gun positions and troop concentrations. During all these operations five enemy aircraft were destroyed. Two of ours are missing. AMERICAN CASUALTIES. WASHINGTON, January 20. The latest figures of the United States casualties in the Italian campaign were given in Washington today by Mr. Stimson (’Secretary of War). They arc: 2985 killed. .12 500 wounded, 3720 missing. JUGOSLAV SUCCESSES RUGBY, January 21. Jugoslav partisans recaptured Jajce, their former headquarters in Western Bosnia, seventy miles northeast of Split. They also cleared an area of about thirty miles west of Jajce, reaching to within forty miles of Split. In eastern Bosnia, the partisans seized two mines and attacked the Germans in a street at Tuzla, fifty miles north of Sarajevo. The Germen attempt to relieve Tuzla failed. Four more trains on the BelgradeZagreb line were derailed.

PROGRESS REPORTS RUGBY, January 21. SunArted from the air and by light and destroyers bombarding from the Gulf of Gasta, the British are extending the bridgehead against terrific resistance, especially around Castelforte and Ventusa, reports a correspondent. They took the high ground around. Ventusa, checked counter-attacks and captured Minturno; the French crossed the Rapido and took Illego. North of San Elia, the Germans brought reinforcements from the Third Panzer Grenadiers in support of the Fifth Mountain division. The Germans organised a new’ line based on mountains around Roccasecca. Prisoners taken since the crossing of the Garigliano number three hundred. The Algiers radio states the Allies have a firm foothold on the outeredges of the Aurunci mountain chain, where the Gustav Line is built into caves and gullies up slopes. At one point, the British penetrated secondary »positions at the mouth of the river up on the hills. The Germans mined certain areas with almost unbelievable thoroughness. A counterattack against Minturno was smashed by Allied artillery and bombers. ' Along the centre of the Fifth Army front, Cassino is still the focal point of Allied attacks, and the Americans have been making daring night raids. German patrols jabbing Allied positions east of the narrow steeply banked Rapido, were repelled. In the Eighth Army, the Canadians are re-grouping.

COUNTESS CIANO

LONDON, January 21

Countess Edda Ciano entered Switzerland secretly at 6.30 p.m. on January 9, and was immediately interned. She is now living with her three children under strict police, supervision, says a Swiss communique issued at Berne. Her children have been in Switzerland since December 12. Countess Ciano was sent to a place of final internment on January 18.

Alfieri, the former Italian Ambassador to Berlin, also entered Switzerland secretly on the night of December 23 and was sent to hospital. Swiss authorities, fin view of the death sentence passed on Alfieri on January 10, are at present refraining from expelling him. He must leave Switzerland when his health permits a continuation of his journey. ______