LULL CONTINUES

Grey River Argus, 25 February 1944, Page 5

LULL CONTINUES

IN WESTERN ITALY Beach-head Local Encounters [Aus. & N.Z. Press Assn.] (Rec. 12.20) LONDON, Feb. 2.4. A communique from advanced headquarters in Italy reports: There have been sharp encounters at several points of the Fifth Army’s Anzio front. The main Fifth Army front is quiet. Patrols are there active. On the Eighth Army front patrols engaged the enemy and inflicted casualties. The weather curtailed air operations. Fighter-bomb-ers and fighters patrolled over the beach-head. Light planes attacked shipping off the Dalmatian coast and communications in the beachhead area. Thirty-six enemy planes were shot down on Wednesday. We lost seven. The Mediterranean Air Force flew approximately 850 sorties. Enemy activity over the beach-head totalled six sorties.

Allied and German artillery pounded each others lines to-day, in preparation for a further beach-head battle, but fighting is not yet on a large scale.

It is officially stated that the Allied line begins on the coast ten miles north of Anzio, runs almost due east inland for fifteen miles just below Carrocetto and ‘ Cisterna, then cuts south along the fringes of the Pontine Marshes behind the northern bank of Mussolini Canal* to the coast ten miles beyond Anzio. The line is substantially the same as where we dug in a month ago. What little ground we lost extended beyond these main defences.

Reuter’s Algiers correspondent says the absence of major fighting and relaxation of German pressure are interpreted officially here as meaning that Kesselring’s second great effort against Anzio positions failed, and after minor clashes in the beach-head yesterdav our positions remain unaltered. Poor visibility curtailed air missions in the beach-head, and also grounded most long-range bombers. Allied air reconnaissance observed considerable movement in the rear of the German lines, indicating that Kesselring is re-grouping his forces. Presumably, some of the three German divisions, which have not yet engaged in heavy fighting, are now being moved into position for the third assault against the Allied perimeter below Carrocetto. Americans, yesterday, west of Cisterna, threw back two German attacks with tanks, while British artillery in the Carrocetto area shelled enemy vehicles and infantry. Movements of troops and vehicles behind the German lines on the Anzio beach-head indicated the enemy were re-grouping after two abortive attempts to throw the Allies out of the beach-head, renorts a correspondent at the Allied Headquarers. The enom<- is keening the closest possible contact with Allied troops, and is apparently making speedy preparations for another big attack. Two local attacks against Americans west of Cisterna by infantry and tanks yesterday were repelled. British artillery shelled troons and vehicles with good effect. Long-range artillery has been active against Anzio Harbour, and on Monday night bombers raided it. Cabling from the beach-head to-day the British United Press correspondent reports that Allied troops are putting up tents over some trenches in the beach-head area against torrential rain, which at nresent is keeping tank activity to a minimum. Enemy patrols on Tuesday night, constantly pushed forward here and there, seeking weak snots in the Allied lines. Military observers in London expect the lull in the beach-head may be broken at any time by renewed German attacks. RECENT GERMAN LOSSES. LONDON, Feb. 23. The Combined British Press correspondent estimates that the Germans in four weeks of fighting in Italy lost 20,000 -killed, wounded and taken prisoner. The number of prisoners was 2,800, and the casualties from tank fire, gun fire, and bombing was roughly calculated at ten times greater. The Allied casualties, though heavy, do not approach the German losses. Abundant evidence of terrific mauling the Germans received from February 16 to 19 continues to come to light. Their casualties were heavier than in any other fighting in a comparable period of the Italian campaign. Five hundred were counted on a small sector south of Carrocetto. Severe casualties were suffered by the inexperienced 114th. Motorised Infantry Division from Jugoslavia, which is not accustomed to the tremendous power of Allied artillery. It panicked and broke when it came under the full weight of the Allied artillery fire. . ■' CASSINO SECTOR. LONDON, Febb. 23. The Germans attempted to infiltrate two peaks, north-west of Cassino, but accurate artillery fire crashed among the attackers who retired under cover of a smoke screen. Fifth Army men continued to push forward, room by room in the battle lor houses at .Cassino. Snow still blankets the Eighth Army front One British unit has been marooned for a week in snowdrifts. Attempts to supply them from the air were unsuccessful, but .a ski party reached them when on the. last day’s rations.

ALLIED AERIAL OPERATIONS. BOW RUGBY, Feb. 23. Great air activity during which the Mediterranean Allied air forces flew some 1,600 sorties, destroying 50 enemy aircraft, for the loss of 15, was reported on Tuesday. The Allies bombed airfields in Zagreb and the harbours at Zara and Sibenik. Medium bombers attacked railway communications at Foligno and Albinia and Montalto di Castro. Light bombers and fighters were very active in the beach-head area attacking ti oops con centrations, gun positions, supp y dumps, and motor transports. Over the beach-head enemy activity amounted to 130 sorties. Foligno is a junction where the line south-west from Florence meets the line to Ancona and Rome. It is some 75 miles north of Rome. Montalto di Castro, 55 miles north-west of Rome, is on the Leghorn-Rome coast railway. • DOCUMENTS SIGNED BY GERMANS (Rec. 10.30) LONDON’, Feb. 24. Reuter’s ciorrefcpoindent at Allied headquarters in Italy says tot before Germans troops go into tne front line they are obliged to sign two documents. The first document reads: “I am fully aware that I behave like a criminal murderer to mv comrades and that I endanger* the security of the Reich and my family if in captivity I give more than'mv name, rank, the date and place of my birth, and my home address.” The second document reads: “I declare that I have been instructed repeatedly that-I must not allow my machine-gun or mortal* to fall into enemy hands.” The correspondent adds that the Allies yesteifSay took as prisoners eight drunk Germans in the Anzio region. This is not the first -time that drunken Germans have been captured at the beach-head.