ADVANCE IN ITALY

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24956, 27 July 1944, Page 5

ADVANCE IN ITALY

(JAINS NEAR FLORENCE EIGHTH ARMY'S DRIVE (Reed. 11.30 p.m.). LONDON, July.2B Eighth Army troops on a 30-mile front south of Florence again made substantial gains, particularly westward of the Poggibonsi-Florence road, where advanced elements are approaching San Casciano, seven miles from Florence, states' today's Allied communique from Italy. The enemy westward of the ArezzoPontassieve road, says the communique, was forced to withdraw from further positions. We made gains of upward of three miles. The Allies pierced one enemy line of resistance six miles northeast of Arezzo. Local gains were made in the area south of Sanscpolcro. Four Allied forces are converging against Florence, says Reuter's correspondent at Allied Headquarters in Italy. They are: (I) The French, who are advancing along Highway 2 from Greve, and are under nine miles from the city; (2) the British, in the upper Tiber Valley, who have captured Meleto, 19 miles from Florence; (3) the British, in the Pratomagno Mountains, who are an equal distance from the city; (4) the Americans, between Highway 2 and the west coast, who, after clearing the area south of tho Arno River, are 18 miles from Florence. German resistance has increased to a marked extent on the Fifth Army front. From the American patrols aggressively probing the Arno River defences, the Germans are falling back step by step in a tightening seini-circle around Florence. When forced out of a strong mountain position, they usually find another position about 2000 yds to the rear, where the whole process of shortening their line is repeated after bitter fighting. The position of tho Polish forces of the Eighth Army in the Adriatic sector has not materially changed.

KING IN ITALY ALEXANDER VISITED NIGHT IN CARAVAN (Heed. 6.30 p.m.) LONDON, July 26 The King visited the port of Naples, and after lunching with General Sir Henry Maitland Wilson, Supreme Allied Commander, Mediterranean, flew to the camp of General Sir Harold Alexander, Allied Commander-in-Chief in Italy, where he spent tho night, says Reuter's Naples correspondent. Tho King Hew over recent battlefields in a transport plane named "Freedom." General Alexander received him at an airfield, where the King and tho Allied commander talked animatedly. The King slept in a caravan normally used by General Alexander and ate ordinary army food. He began tho day with a motorlaunch tour of Naples Harbour and then boarded the American flagship. Later he met senior officers on a British warship. After going ashore, His Majesty inspected British, American, French, Polish and Greek naval and merchant servicemen.

NEW ORDER IN ITALY AMENABLE TO ALLIED WILL (Reed. 0.30 p.m.) LONDON, July 26 "We must pursue the one clear, definite aim to bring back our foreign policy to the old furrow of our traditional past," said the Italian Prime Minister, Signor Bonomi, addressing Foreign Ministry officials in Rome. "We must turn again to our great allies of the last war—Britain, France, Russia and America. We must also cure the horrible wounds that imperialistic folly inflicted on our foreign policy and the spirit which inspired it. What we have accepted wo havo accepted totally." Signor Bonomi expressed the Government's complete willingness to observe tho Allied armistice terms. The new Government was firmly decided to increase its warlike activity to froe Italy from German occupation. KESSELRING WOUNDED (Reed. 5.35 p.m.) LONDON, July 25 The Berlin overseas radio says that Kesselring, tho German Commander-in-Chief in Italy, was wounded while inspecting tho German forward lines. He received an emergency dressing and continued his inspection. AMBASSADOR'S RECALL ARGENTINA AND AMERICA (Reed. 0.10 p.m.) NEW YORK, July 26 The recall of the Argentine Ambassador from Washington camo as a bolt from the blue to most Argentinians, who believed that the tension between their country and the United States bad eased in recent weeks, reports the New York Times correspondent in Buenos Aires. It is officially stated that the recall is due to declarations attributed to the Secretary of State, Mr Cordell Hull, but it is not explained whether this refers to Mr Hull's statement made at a press conference on Monday or to the State Department's memorandum to tho South American Republics on the Argentine position. It is significant that the Argentine Government has abandoned the fiction inaugurated by Britain and America that the recall was for the purpose of consultation, the correspondent adds. It simplv said that the Government had decided, as an immediate measure, to recall its Ambassador from Washington. Indeed, there is q suggestion that further measures may- follow-in, dife cotirse,-'