Eighth Army Only 50 Miles Away

Manawatu Times, Volume 68, Issue 221, 17 September 1943, Page 5

Eighth Army Only 50 Miles Away

Reported Allied Landing on Greek Islands United Tress Assn.—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright. Received Friday, 1.10 a.m. LONDON, September 16. The German threat to the Allied bridgehead at Salerno seems to be ended, according to the latest reports from the front. The British United Press correspondent with the Fifth Anny says the Salerno operation has been successfully completed and the position can he summed up thus: Firstly, the beachhead has been consolidated; secondly, reorganisation is going on; thirdly, the situation is well in hand. The Germans succeeded in infiltrating our positions at a number of places, but the infiltrations were bottled up and proved costly for them. Reinforcements, including plenty of heavy equipment and additions of men and supplies, continue to pour in. We need them, but our greatest needs at present are the possession of the heights inland from which the German guns dominate the bridgehead and an aerodrome from which we could give close fighter support. Apparently the terrific German attacks with giant Tiger tanks have not succeeded in splitting the Allied front in two. The beaches remain in British and American hands and supplies and reinforcements are being poured ashore. Even the German wireless to-day abandoned talk of “evacuation,” and admitted that the enemy who was thrown back yesterday is making a renewed stand near the coast under cover of naval artillery. Heavy Allied reinforcements of all kinds have halted the Germans on the Salerno front and ended the threat to the bridgehead, says an American correspondent with the Fifth Army. He adds: “We are breathing more freely to-night.” An Allied communique states that the Eighth Army has reached Scalea on the Italian west coast 50 miles southeast of Salerno.

The Vichy radio, quoting Berlin military circles, said the Eighth Army in the Bari area is advancing towards Foggia, Italy’s largest air base, 80 miles northeast of Naples. An Allied invasion force is reported to have occupied the islands of Leros and Samos, according to advices from Ankara.