CRUCIAL PHASE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25303, 13 August 1943, Page 5

CRUCIAL PHASE

SICILIAN CAMPAIGN ATTEMPT TO TRAP NAZIS COAST DRIVE ACCELERATED (Rec. 1 a.m.) LONDON, Aug. 12. General Montgomery has speeded up the advance up the east coast road of Sicily, attempting to trap the Germans defending Raodazzo. The Algiers correspondent of the Daily Telegraph says that, following the capture of Guardia our advanced forces reached atl area immediately south of Riposto. This push brings us within five miles of the very important communications centre of Fiumefreddo, where the circular railway road around Mount Etna, passing through Randazzo, joins the coast road to Messina. Our troops are also within 10 miles of Taormina, the capture of which would deprive the enemy at Randazzo of all chances of escaping to the east. The only exit from the trap would be by the roads running north over the mountains the coast east of Cape Orlando. The Americans in the north-east also advanced three to four miles. Between Mount Etna and the Nebrodi Mountains the battle has reached a crucial phase as the enemy struggles desperately to prevent Randazzo from falling into our hands. The town was again the main target yesterday for Allied planes. Fighter-bombers swept

over the enemy line around Randazzo and against Novara, and knocked out lorries attempting to ' move troops, as well as supply convoys, and blocked roads. The high rate of casualties the Germans are willing to suffer indicates the strategy of the Axis High Command, which apparently calls for a fight to a finish rather than a full-scale attempt to evacuate the dwindling Axis forces. A total of 999 Axis planes, many of which are still serviceable, have fallen into Allied hands on the captured Sicilian airfields. Reuter’s correspondent, commenting on this, says: “Our air attacks from North Africa have drained away the Luftwaffe’s lifeblood.”

The Americans are now within three miles of Randazzo, which has again been bombed several times, and is now under the fire of Allied guns. One correspondent says that the battle has now reached a critical stage. The Allied advance continues steadily on all sectors, states a communique ■from Algiers. The enemy on the east coast sector is fighting a strong rearguard action. The Eighth Army on this sector has now taken the villages of Prajola and Zafferana-Etna. The latter place is a small village four miles west of Guardia on a secondary road running north of Catania right along the slopes of Mount Etna. The enemy inland is putting up a stiff fight north of Bronte, on the Randazzo road. The Eighth Army is attacking here in close co-operation with the Seventh Army, which, in spite of firm enemy resistance, is now halfway, to Randazzo on the road from Cesaro. In the north the village and area of San Marco da Lunzio have been gained and consolidated. This village is about three miles north-east of San Agata, on the road to Cape Orlando. Meanwhile, another raiding force has landed behind the enemy lines and successfully established a bridgehead';