Americans Waging Furious Battles

Manawatu Times, Volume 69, Issue 6, 8 January 1944, Page 5

Americans Waging Furious Battles

(By Telegrapi

•ess Assn.—Copyright.)

Received Saturday, 1.5 a.m, LONDON, Jan. 7.

The fiercest fighting is going on on the Fifth Army front at the northern end of the ten-mile sector straddling the Venafro-Rome railway line, according to the Vichy radio. The Americans are waging furious battles for the heights dominating the road to Cassino and Rome.

Paris radio reports that heavy street fighting continues in San Vittore. The British-Americans in the resumption of their offensive made several local breaches but the German line as a whole has not been broken. The Berlin radio claims that French volunteers are with the German forces in Italy. It says that to-day’s Berlin newspapers publish photographs of companies of French volunteers with a German air force motor detachment in a town in Northern Italy.

The Britsh United Press’s correspondent says that the Eighth Army began its drive supported by an extremely heavy barrage and bombing and strafing from the air.

A combined group of Canadians and Americans made one of the most important advances through difficult snowcapped mountain terrain. They captured another mountain peak, making three peaks captured in two days. The Canadians of the Eighth Army have captured a hill three miles beyond Ortona. They are now overlooking a coastal village eight miles distant on the road to Pescara. Fierce fighting continues in this coastal sector, where the infantry are clearing out enemy nests south of the Foro River.

A new type of fighter-bomber named the Invader is mentioned in cables from the Fifth Army front. It is an adaptation of the Mustang and is suited for dive-bombing, carrying two 5001 b. bombs. The Invaders attacking the Cervaro area yesterday used new tactics. Instead of dive-bombing, they roared through narrow valleys as close to the ground as possible gunning German positions at 300 miles an hour. American and British troops of the Fifth Army launched an attack in rough mountain country. Advances averaging a mile in depth were made along the front for approximately 10 miles.

Street fighting is in progress in San Vittore, where the enemy has converted houses into pillboxes. Stiff fighting continues on the Adriatic coastal sector.

Light bombers on Tuesday, night attacked the chemical works at Torre de Piassiera and fires were left burning. Bad weather yesterday limited air operations, but fighter-bombers attacked enemy gun positions in the Cervara area. One of our aircraft is missing. An Italy communique says that British destroyers on Monday night bombarded Pesaro and a railway which served an Adriatic port about 80 miles due east of Florence.