HEIGHTS CAPTURED

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 79, 11 January 1944, Page 5

HEIGHTS CAPTURED

ADVANCE ON CASSINO STRONG GERMAN COUNTERATTACKS ARTILLERY ACTIVE ON EIGHTH ARMY FRONT London, Jan. 10. The Germans have launched a strong counter-attack against Fifth Army units holding Mont Majo, says Reuter’s Algiers correspondent,. The enemy is also counter-attacking at several other points along the line of the Fifth Army’s advance.. The Eighth Army front is becoming active after recent paralysing storms.. Heavy artillery exchanges are going on. Troops and vehicles, however, arc still bogged down by thawing snow and deep smnvdrifts. FURTHER ADVANCES Rugby, Jan. 10. A communique from Italy states that further advances were made on the Fifth Army front and at one point our front line moved forward approximately two miles. Two more heights overlooking enemy positions were captured. There was nothing fresh to report on the Eighth Army sector. ,

Harbour and rail facilities at Pola, 170 miles north of the front line were bombed yesterday by a strong force of heavy bombers escorted by fighters. Medium bombers attacked harbour and rail installations at Ancona, and fighter-bombers attacked rolling stock and motor transport in the Aquila area. One enemy aircraft was destroyed. One of ours is missing.

A correspondent says the advance of two miles on the central sector of the Fifth Army front brings the Allied positions to the north-east of the village of Aftervaro. Monte Cateca Vicci has been captured. This is an advance of two miles west of Monte Majo. Further south United States troops are consolidating their positions on Monte Chiaia and are now pushing beyond this height. Monte Chiaia is the highest and most northerly peak of the series which lie in the narrow mountain path leading to the Cassino corridor, and two miles north-west of San Vittore. MONT PORCHIO SEIZED Monte Porchio, two miles southwest of San Vittore has now been seized by American troops in this sector and the remaining German positions on the western slope were yesterday being mopped up. These heights had been converted into intricate defence fortifications by the Nazi engineers who constructed a series of reinforced dugouts on the slope.

British troops of the Fifth Army established and are maintaining a bridgehead across the river Peccia north of Roccadivandro. The Germans are continuously shelling the bridgehead but despite this British forces held on. On the Eighth Army front there was little change in our forward positions in the last 24 hours. The Germans have been active with artillery and mortar gunfire. British forces have been equally active. BOMBERS OPERATE FROM MAINLAND It is announced that Allied heavy bombers are now operating from bases on the Italian mainland.