WITHDRAWAL NOT EXPECTED

Southland Times, Issue 25513, 6 November 1944, Page 5

WITHDRAWAL NOT EXPECTED

GERMAN FORCES IN ITALY (8.0.W.) RUGBY, November 4. “There is no indication of the Germans having the slightest intention of withdrawing from Italy/’ said General Alexander, according to a Rome correspondent. The Allied commander gave the impression that he was confident the Germans would be driven out of the country. He did not forecast a date. He revealed that the time for opening the western front was fixed last autumn, and his task was twofold—to destroy as many German divisions as possible and produce a first-class victory before the invasion of the Continent was launched. Rome fell the day before D Day. He said that he was “rather dis T appointed” at the average rate of progress of one and a-quarter miles a day compared with four and ahalf miles a day from El Alamein " to Florence. General Alexander, however, replied to criticism that more amphibious operations should have been undertaken by declaring that neither the men nor the landing craft were available. GENERAL LULL IN ITALY Operations Hampered By Bad Weather (8.0.W.) RUGBY, November 4. The weather has enforced a general lull in the Italian fighting. An Allied communique says that activity on tlie front of the Allied armies in Italy has been confined to patrolling. Bad weather yesterday curtailed air operations but a small force of aircraft attacked industrial targets in Germany and Austria. A Rome correspondent describes these raids as “harassing” attacks on targets in the Munich, Vienna and Klagenfurt areas. Fighters and fighter bombers attacked communications in the Po valley and in Yugoslavia and Albania and an airfield near Zagreb. In some 300 sorties two Allied planes are missing. The communique adds that patrolling continues towards the Greek-Yugoslav frontier.

British infantry and armour in spite of the bad weather, slogged forward nearly one mile to contain Forli airfield on two sides, says Reuter’s correspondent at Allied Headquarters in Italy. The Germans are desperately defending the airfield at the north-west and north-east comers. They are using Tiger tanks to defend the aerodrome, for which fighting is raging in violent thunderstorms. Only a canal separates the opposing forces. German tanks are firing at point-blank range, in support of their infantry.

CASUALTIES IN ITALY (Rec. 11 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 4. ' It is officially announced that. Allied casualties in Italy since May 11, when the Cassino breakthrough started, .total 116,150. Enemy casualties in the same period total 194,000.

KESSELRING REPORTED INJURED

(8.0.W.) RUGBY, November 4. Field Marshal Kesselring was injured by machine gun fire from a low-flying Allied plane, which attacked his car, according to Paris radio. It is not known whether the injuries he sustained were severe.