DEEPER ADVANCES MADE

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24894, 16 May 1944, Page 5

DEEPER ADVANCES MADE

EIGHTH ARMYJN LIRI VALLEY FIERCE RESISTANCE OVERCOME SIGNIFICANT BREACH IN GUSTAV LINE By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. (Received 'May 15. 11.30 p.m.) LONDON, May 15 The Allied communique from Italy says Eighth Army troops in the Liri Valley have penetrated deeper into the German defences, overcoming fierce'resistance in many places. They have mopped up strongpoints which th«y by-passed in the past 24 hours of the attack. French troops of the Fifth Army have been quick to exploit their success following their capture of an important mountain bastion which was part of the enemy defence line. They captured more hill features and three villages. Thus, says the communique, a significant breach has been made in the Gustav Line. German strongpoints have been by-passed and mopping up continues. American troops also have advanced and cut the road between one of the villages now in French hands and a coast town. A large number of prisoners has been taken and heavy casualties inflicted on the Germans. Heavj/' fighting continues along the whole front. Allied troops captured Santa Maria Infante, a village on a track across the hills from the Minturno lateral roadway. Reuter's correspondent with the "Fifth Army says the capture not only brings a section of this; road, which runs from Cassino to the coast, under Allied control, but takes Allied troops to the western side of a mountainous triangle, of which Minturno is the base. The British United Press correspondent says the Allies, in the most vicious battles of the Italian campaign, are slowly blasting their way into the Gustav Line. The new Allied offensive is " going great guns " from the heights above Cassino to the mouth of the Garigliano River, says the Times correspondent at Allied headquarters. As was to be expected, it is meeting with stubborn resistance. The Germans have fortified the heights and valleys with every known device of crossfire from guns and machine-guns, also with barbed wire and minefields;

FLANKING DRIVE

ENEMY POSTS OVER-RUN EIGHTH ARMY'S TASK COPING WITH ARTILLERY LONDON, May 14 Allied tanks and infantry smashed into the Gustav Line south of Cassino this morning, over-run-ning a number of German positions and taking ipany prisoners in an outflanking drive, which threatens the enemy's entire Cassino position, says the United Press correspondent. The Germans threw in large parachutist forces in an effort to halt the advance. This correspondent says the Eighth [Army's progress in the Liri Valley has been slow, due to vigorous German resistance. The Rapido River, as far as can be judged, now lies about a mile behind the Eighth »Armyv The Germans have made no attempt to withdraw. Thay are fighting doggedly for every vantage point Guns Overlook Bridgehead

The Eighth, Army bridgehead across the Rapido River is now at least 2000 yards deep, says another correspondent. More bridges have been built and we have got a great number of tanks across. The bridges have been subjected to German mortar and machine-gun fire, but the engineers are keeping them in working condition. The Naples'correspondent of the New ilork Herald-Tribune points out that the Eighth Army is facing a difficult job in consolidating the Rapido bridgehead as the enemy's guns, hidden in the hills overlooking the Liri Valley, are heavily shelling the river crossings. , The Liri Valley is vitally important, because it is the natural geographical approach to Rome. It is flanked on both sides by formidable mountains, where German troops are firmly entrenched. In addition, the enemy has thrown two barriers across the valley—the Gustav Line and, five miles to the rear, the Adolf Hitler Line. Many German Counter-attacks

The Germans have counter-attacked our newly-won positions again and again—five times on the he:ignts north of Cassino. The Germans are being, compelled to throw in men and munitions on a scale unequalled since the battles of January and February. It will soon he seen whether they can stand the pace Bet by the terrific damage which is being inflicted on their communications from the air. German suicide squads are being "winkled" out of cellars in San Angelo. At least five towns and nine strategic heights have been taken since the offensive began, but the German counterattacks have been so vicious that many of them have changed hands several times before final capture. Gurkhas of the Indian Division captured 60 prisqners when they took San Angelo, says Renter's correspondent with the Eighth Army. The /initial attack resulted in the capture of only half of the town and the exploitation of the Allied positions proved so difficult that it was decided to withdraw the Indians and launch another full-scale _ attack. Artillery was concentrated against the village and when the troops went in resistance had been softened. Gurkhas Enter Village

Gurkhas, with fixed bayonets and kukrig, moved swiftly through streets, killing those who resisted. The attackers lost only ten men. Scores of tanks which had been brought across the river two miles below Cassino, enabled the British to over-run the country so swiftly that they were able to round up batches of prisoners including

many paratroops. The French, who took Monte Faito, took prisoner nearly 600 Germans. The French advance through the Aurunci hills is shielding the left flank of the Liri Valley thrust from harassing gunfire.

Renter's correspondent at advanced headquarters says French troop 3 captured the village of Monte Majo, seven miles north-east of Minturno, and four miles north of Castejforte. The French have also captured two other villages. The German news agency commentator, Praegner, says the battle between the Tyrrhenian Sea and Cassino ha® flared up into extreme violence. The Allied forces total ten divisions. The / German Command, as before, is pursuing the preconceived tactics of forcing the British and Americans to expand their maximum effort for every ?ard of ground. The German news agency. war correspondent in Italy says the intensity of the artillery fire on both slides of the Anzio beachhead is growing.. Allied prepa:rations at Anzio are still going on, and men and material are still being landed.

BADOGLIO'S future CHANGE OF MIND REPORTED (Heed. 8.30 p.m.) NEW YORK, May 15 The London correspondent of the wlumbia Broadcasting System reports that the Prime Minister of Italy, Marshal Badoglio, informed the Allies that he had changed his mind about resignmg when Rome is captured. No one Seems to know what, if anything, the. •Allies can or will do about it, adds the correspondent. SOUTH AFRICAN ARMOUR (Hw 'l 11.30 p.m.) LONDON, May 15 ' , It is announced at advanced Allied Jwadquarters that a South African a "noured division a now izi

GREAT FIGHTERS CKACK BRITISH UNITS NAZI COUNTER-BLOW BROKEN LONDON, May 14 The first German counter-attack on the Rapido Biver sector of the Italian front was launched just after 8 a.m. to-day and beaten back to the starting point within an hour. "I am with a brigade of infantry from famous British regiments down near the Rapido River," cables a correspondent in the Liri Valley. "After 24 hours of bitter fighting this division has won all of its objectives, crushing strong enemy resistance and consolidating its gains. Once over the Rapido, the brigade fanned out to the right and struck toward the coveted 'Highway 6,' the road to Rome. Then the Germans struck. Things looked pretty sticky for a time, and at one stage it seemed as if we might get pushed off the objective for which our men had fought bitterly. "A thick naze which reduced visibility to less than 30 yards hung over the entire Liri Valley. It was a combination of smoke, dust and mist, and caused confused fighting—so confused that on one sector some of our mortars got so far forward that they c-ould not fire. They have a minimum range of 1000 yard's. "When the enemy attacked we gave him all we had. For a time things did not go well for us, but when the battle was an hour old these crack British troops, fighting magnificently, had smashed the counter-attack and driven the enemy back whence he came. "Now we are attacking ajpin, with plenty of tanks in support. Most of the enemy opposition that these British troops have encountered so far has come from shells and mortar fire. "Along the river sector fighting has been fierce, and on the sector where I am this morning we find ourselves against troops of the First German Parachute Regiment—probably the best unit of its kind in the German Army. They were the troops who held Cassino against the New Zealanders. They are fighting with just as much fury as in Cassino. But their morale must be shaken. It must have been a shock to find the Liri Valley swarming with Allied tanks on the first morning of the battle."

BOMBING IN ITALY

MANY RAILWAY YARDS 2500 SORTIES FLOWN (Reed. 11.30 p.m.) LONDON, May 15 The Mediterranean Air Force was again out in full strength yesterday. It flew 2500 sorties, compared with some 30 German aircraft sighted over the battle area during daylight. Strong forces of heavy bombers attacked railway yards in the valley of the River Po. Reuter's correspondent says the yards attacked were at Ferrara, Mantua, Vicenza, Padua, Pione di Sacco, Trevico and Mestre. near Venice. Medium bombers and fighters continued assaults on railways between Florence and Rome, while more railway bridges and an oil refinery were bombed last night by the R.A.F. Six of our aircraft are missing. Photographs show that Flying Fortresses on Saturday blew a 40ft. gap in the Alviso viaduct, on the railway from the Brenner Pass, thys temporarily blocking traffic into Italy. SOLID CONFIDENCE KEYNOTE OF COMMENT LONDON, May 14 Solid confidence, without cocksureness, is the keynote of all Allied comments on the Italian offensive, and military commentators generally endorse the German news agency statement that the "invasion master pian has been put into operation by the Allies." The early successes in Italy are carefully not over-emphasised in London, either in the news columns or in the commentaries. The general tone is "so far so good, but only the cuter shell of the Gustav Line has yet been 111 General Sir Robert Adam, adjutantgeneral to the British forces, said there would be no walk-over, but added: We have started well. We shall hear some news in a day or two. _ We shall have other offensives from this end and from Russia, and we hope it is going to be finished this year."

OVER 2000 PRISONERS 500 FROM ONE DIVISION (Reed. 11.30 p.m.) LONDON, May 15 A correspondent at advanced Allied headquarters puts the. number of German prisoners taken since the start oi the offensive at more than /000. Of these, 500 come from the German 71st Division, which was re-formed after being wiped out at Stalingrad. This division bore the brunt of the l'li-th Army attack, and the whole of its defences were over-run. Some of its commanders were captured. HINT OF WITHDRAWAL LONDON, May 34 A hint that the Germans may withdraw troops from the Italian front to meet the Allied invasion of Europe was given to-day by the military spokesman of the German news agency, Hallensleben. "The High Command," he said, "may have to withdraw troops from the Italian front for reasons which have no connection jvith the fighting on that fronV*