BATTLE GOES ON

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24874, 21 April 1944, Page 4

BATTLE GOES ON

CASSINO GUN DUELS GREAT ARRAY OF ARTILLERY (N.Z.E.F. Official War Correspondents CASSINO FRONT. April W It is seldom quiet on the Cassia front. It is a month now since th° New Zealanders began their assault on this great barrier across the road t Home. Gunfire has thundered thron-rk the hills almost continuously dav an' night. Scattered over ridges to a depth n f miles behind our front there have W in the last four weeks more »nl heavier guns than were empluved the El Alamein barrage. Their mendous fire power has been used t this comparatively short Cassino f ron t and directed against the German gnn line supporting it across the Liri y~{ ley. Countless thousands of high ex" plosive and smoke shells have" bum across the ridges of Monte Cassino the ruined town and out across th valley since our artillery took up the offensive immediately after the iW ton bombing attack just a month a so to-day. Day after day while the attack lasted our troops and the Germans o» the slopes beyond the town vrera shrouded by dense white clouds of smoke left by a thousand smoke shells Seldom was Cassino without its thick covering pall of smoke. Cub Aircraft's Task Familiar to everyone on the front have been "the eyes of the artiliery'C saucy little Cub aircraft that take off from crudes landing strips just behind our lines. Manoeuvrability is their onlv protection against German fighters and anti-aircraft fire. These little , planes have been over _ every day, spotthr enemy gun positions and troop move* ments and adjusting our artiller? fi r j into them, Often they seemed to linger uncannily just a few hundred "feet above German gun pits and several times they had to drop steeply out of the sky and hedge-hop for home while our anti-aircraft fire held off ece'mv fighters. Now that the fighting has become static again, the daylight war on this front is one of long, noisy gun duels In these our field guns have been joined by New Zealand Sherman tanks using their high velocity guns in and indirect fire role to reach out across the Liri Valley and strike at German gun pits and multiple mortars. Rapid and Accurate Fire Their speed—a group of these 75mm tank guns hove fired away oyer 150 shells a minute—and accuracy have been used with deadly effect against nebelwerfers, guns and enemy strongpoints. As soon as their observation post watching from a high, fin-shaped hill overlooking Cassino sees clouds of dust thrown up by nebelwerfer fire, a concentration of tank guns is directed against them. When they cannot get at the guns and mortars, the New Zealand tanks blast away at German-held houses. They are using shells which first pentrate through the walls of stone and concrete and then explode. So the day and night battle goes on, LOCAL AND GENERAL American Citizenship A former resident of the Philippines now serving in the United States Navy has been admitted to American citizenship. He is Pharmacist's Mate, Second Class, Geninato Realm Micu, who has taken the oath of allegiance at the American Consulate in Auckland. Bom in Asingau, Pangasinau, in the central part of Luzon, in the Philippines, Ph.M. Micu was educated at Linfield College, Oregon. Washington State College, and the University of Southern California. Cargo Pillaging With the object of reducing the pillaging of cargo, the council of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce yesterday agreed to recommend that manufacturers and exporters in Britain be advised to discontinue any practice that may lead to the identification of the contents of cases sent to the Dominion. It was stated that some firms in Britain placed their names and descriptions of goods on cases exported to New Zealand. The experience was that pillaging from such cases was heavier than from others not so marked. Flood Warnings for Farmers Owing to the ract that wartime restrictions do not permit the publication of general weather forecasts, a plan is in hand to provide farmers of any district with a warning of the likelihood of heavy rains causing floods. The National Council of Primary Production is arranging with the Meteorological Office to obtain advice that can be telephoned immediately to the secretaries of district primary production councils concerned. These officials are being asked to have farmers of any threatened area warned promptly. Campaign Against Eats "It has been proved that rats actually thrive on Epsom salts," said Mr. F.N. Ambler, when he outlined proposals for the coming "rat week" at a meeting of the council of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce yesterday. For use during "rat week." from May 1 to 6. the City Council had prepared 4481b. of poison and 8001b. of bread, said Mr Ambler. In addition, 15001b. of poison had been made up into sealed packets for issue free to citizens. He considered the general public could do more than at present to combat the rat menace. Wives of Servicemen Several wives and children of N<etf Zealand servicemen who were marri;d in Great Britain arrived yesterday in Auckland from Wellington. No formal welcome was given, as the Mayor, Mr. J. A. C. Allum, had not been advised of their arrival. Three representatives of the Phmke.t Society's nursing_ service were sent to meet the train in case they could be of use to any of the mothers and, although no calls wer» made on their services, members of the party said they appreciated the gesture, and added that it was typical of th® kindness which had been extended to them since their arrival in New Zealand. Y.W.C.A. Appeal Reasons for the contemplated appeal for £30.000 by the Auckland Y.W.CX were explained to representatives of local authorities in the Auckland metropolitan area yesterday afternoon at » meeting convened by the Mayor, Mr. J. A. C. Allum, in the City Council chamber, at the request of the association. Addresses on the latter's work were given by the president, Mrs. T. Derrick, the chairman of the advisory board. Mr. J. W. Court, and the gen* eral secretary, Miss Elsie Bennet. The association, which has not made a major appeal to the public for 20 years, wishes to mark its diamond jubilee by clearing off a mortgage of £IB.OOO on its main buildings, and by increasing its suburban centres from two to eight. Prefabricated School Rooms Six of the 45 prefabricated classrooms which have been allotted to schools in the Auckland area are being assembled at the Otahuhu Technical High School. Two are being joined to make a double room, and the others are being placea adjacent to each other to make their removal easier when that becomes possible. The headmaster of the school, Mr. G. W. C. Drake, said yesterday that the classrooms were admirable for the purpose intended, which was to proride temporary accommodation f or pupils who were normally able to receive instruction in less crowded conditions rhati those which at present prevailed it the school. However, it would taKe it least 16 of the rooms to solve t»e school's problem completely, as the ro >t present was lOS'I. and about 4W •hildren had been crowded into lors and rooms not normally used to. eaching. .Mr. Drake said the schWia iccommodation would be " ,rt * insisted when the now workshop "* raflt.