NEW COMMANDER

Grey River Argus, 7 January 1944, Page 5

NEW COMMANDER

For Eighth Army

LONDON, Jan. 5. Acting-Lieutenant-General. Sir Oliver Leese, who Lad commanded the 30th Corps with General Montgomery since Alamein, is the new Commander-in-C'hief of the Eighth Army. He takes command at a time when the Eighth Army is facing a very strong delaying action, says Reuter’s Algiers correspondent. The Germans have ten divisions stretened from the Adriatic to the Tyrrhenian - Sea, with the most intense resistance in the coastal sector facing the Eighth Army. The Germans are also holding one division in close support and two in reserve. Their aim—besides preventing the Allies reaching Rome or demanding the highest price for every inch of ground—is to gain time for building up striking reserves in the north. General Leese was promoted to his present rank in September, 1942 and went to the Middle East to assume command of the 30th Corps. For his services in France witfy the . B.E.F. he was awarded the C.B.E. In December, 1940, he was promoted Major-General, and two months later was transferred to the command of a division. General Leese in among the youngest of the Army’s higher commanders. He has made an enviable reputation during the pa’st tour years, having the gift of being in the right place at the right time and having always risen to the highest of his opportunity. He was born 49 years ago in Hertfordshire. From Eton he joined the Coldstream Guards through the Special Reserve and saw active service on the Western Front, where he was in \the fighting line before his 20th bii’thffiec. 10.5.) LONDON, Jan. 5.\ General Leese’s idea of a working day is to visit his troops at eighfi a.m. carry through his until six b.m., and then extend his-: visits until eleven p.m„ after which < he returns to headquarters to decide ’ staff problems. Everything making for the soldiers’ comfort, health and efficiency is sure of his attention. General Leese is a strict disciplinarian. He makes most relentless demands on himself. General Montgomery, in a statement, said: “I hand over the Sth. Army with complete, absolute confidence to a very experienced commander, who has fought with us ever since El Alamein. I could not want to hand over to a better man; so the future of the Bth. Army is good.” Fifth Army LONDON, Jan. 5. General Clark’s Fifth Army yesterday resumed difficult progress through mountains .over the Rome road, and occupied a 2,300 feet height about two miles north-east of San Vittore. The Allies now hold all tne high range dominating the little village of San Vittore, which the enemy has made the bastion of his winter defence line. Allied troops after scaling rugged cliffs, attacked strong emplacements which the tiermans had established as part of their winter line, and inflicted a number of casualties. The rapid increase .of typhus cases in Naples last week, resulted in new warnings. The Associated Press Naples correspondent reports that an Allied statement says a real epidemic may begin. It is known at least one hundred new cases have been found since the figure of 250 was announced ten days ago. There is not a single case among the Fifth Army personnel but military dispensaries are crammed with troops receiving innoculations, while Naples is still closed against all troops, except those billeted there.