CAMPAIGN IN ITALY

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 September 1944, Page 6

CAMPAIGN IN ITALY

RIMINI BOTTLENECK.

LONDON, September 13. British and American troops north of: Florence and Pistora continue to progress into high ground, and are now in close contact with the Gothic Line at several places, says to-day s Allied communique from Italy. British and Indian troops of the Bth Army on the left of the Adriatic sector progressed into the Apennines against determined enemy resistance. On the remainder of the front British and American patrols maintained contact with outposts on the Gothic Li ne - The Rimini bottleneck, where Mar?shal Kesselring’s men are fighting desperately to preserve the Adriatic flank of the Gothic Line, had probably received a greater tonnage of bombs in-the first 10 days of September than any other close support area, states a Reuter correspondent at advanced headquarters. The Desert Air Force in that period put oyer 3000 planes into the Gothic Line battle in close support of the sth and Bth Armies. FURTHER PROGRESS. (Rec. 9.20 a.m.) LONDON, September 13. Forward Fifth Army troops are under three miles from an important Gothic Line pass about 21 miles north of Florence, says the Exchange lete graph Agency’s Rome co.rrespone.em. The terrain where the fighting is, going on is extremely difficult, -j S impossible to' use armour, but artillery is being used on a large scale in the main fighting between thb .infantry forces. , Fifth Army troops have reached. Lagnano, three miles north of Barberino, where they were reported, yesterday. Two and a half miles to the westward they have reached I oggio della Dognana, where the fignting is growing in intensity, and still further west they have forced their way well into the southern reaches oi. die Gothic defences. These are the rroops who are near the Gothic Line pass. GOTHIC LINE SMASHED. (Rec. 1.30 p.m.) LONDON, Sept. 13. The Bth Army is , smashing through the Gothic Line following a .J 000 guns’ dawn bombardment of tne Coriano-San Savino ridge, which is the anchor point of the German line, says the British United Press correspondent this evening. Eighth Army' infantry and tanks by Ihe mio.dle oi the morning had pushed on 1000 yards at some points and by evening appeared certain to make the biggest bag of prisoners for weeks. Today’s attack caught the Germans by surprise. At some points there was little initial resistance. The Germans late in the afternoon, however, twice unsuccessfully counter-attack-ed. The whole battle area all day belched with smoke from British and German guns. The duels reached the highest pitch since Cassino. ADRIATIC DEADLOCK. RUGBY, September 12. On the Adriatic sector ot Italy. Eighth Army patrols have been active, probing the defence in the coastal sector, says a Rome correspondent. There is considerable artillery action li on both sides, but the ferocity of the fighting between the ground forces has somewhat abated. Our troops are still being held on the Coriano Ridge, and the positions between Coriano and San Sovino remain unchanged.

In the central sector oi' the Eiglnn .Army front patrols are active testing the Gothic Line defences in that area. East of Florence our troops fia’/e continued their steady advance towards the Gothic po.sition;'. cwd ni-v; one of the main passes, of > _tiie. great enemy defence powtio'-w. North-east of Florence the troops who crossed the Sieve River have advanced another five miles. There has been an improvement in the v/eather ail alcr/: the front. SAN MARINO'S PLIGHT, c . t Rec. 11.20 The world’s smallest republic, San Marino, which also claims to be tne oldest State in .Europe, had its fu st experience of Allied shelling, yesterday, when Indian artillery opened up in answer to German Lire from the State boundaries, which flank the Coriano Ridge and extend within live miles of Rimini, says Reuter’s correspondent with the Indians in Italy. The Germans respected the neutrality of the State as long as it suited them. Kesselring demanded the use of the San Marino roads, “Merely for supply and for staff work, and th© State was forced to accudc- la the German, wishes. San Marino with an army of only 68 could not ofioi' resistance. The influx of refugees alto” the Sth Army’s attack, against iffi-, Gothic Line increased the population of San Marino from 14,000 io' about 120..000.