ENEMY REPULSED IN ITALY

Southland Times, Issue 25545, 13 December 1944, Page 5

ENEMY REPULSED IN ITALY

British Hold Vital Bridgehead (Rec. 10.30 p.m.) LONDON, Dec. 12. The German counter-attack against the Lamone bridgehead near Faenza was a failure, says a correspondent at Allied Headquarters. British troops of the Bth Army have been engaged in fighting south-west of Faenza where large-scale German counter-attacks against the bridgehead over the river Lamone were defeated with heavy losses to the enemy. Although Faenza is practically encircled, the Germans are fighting back bitterly south-west of'the town, says a correspondent of the British United Press at Allied Headquarters. It is again raining and the rivers that crisscross the battlefield are rising rapidly. Helped immensely by the weather and the country, the Germans have seemingly recovered from their recent losses after the fall of Ravenna. HARD FIGHTING AHEAD

Until Faenza is captured and a gap torn in the German defences guarding Bologna, a quick Aliled break-through is unlikely, says the correspondent.

The Germans used crack Panzer Grenadier formations in the counterattack against the Allied bridgehead over the Lamone river—an attack which has been decisively defeated, says a correspondent of the Associated Press of America in Italy. The Germans were trying to defend Faenza and the highway against Allied outflanking movements. Self-propelled guns supported the counter-attack. BITTER FIGHTING The British south of Celle, which is under two miles west of Faenza, were forced back 400 yards today. There is bitter fighting also just below Celle. The Sth Army was forced to give some ground, but held a vital road bend. A correspondent of the Exchange Telegraph Agency says that heavy fighting developed on the crest of a ridge on both sides of Castel Raniero, three miles south-west of Faenza. The Germans today launched a dawn attack on Wadeura, the possession of which has been heavily contested. All the attacks have been repulsed. Our troops later mopped up infiltration parties. The Allied artillery inflicted great damage.

Field-Marshal Sir Harold Alexander assumes his duties today as Supreme Commander in the Mediterranean theatre, says a correspondent of Allied Headquarters. General Sir Henry Maitland Wilson has issued a farewell Order of the Day, thanking all services of the nations that served under him for the unwavering support he had received. FAREWELL MESSAGE

General Wilson said: “It has been a unique experience for me to have been placed in command of this immense force, drawn from so many different nations. The success we have been

able to achieve together during the past year has been due to the common steadfast purpose which united us all. I hope that unity of purpose will be further strengthened and increased in the months and years to come, not only until the war is won, but far into the future. The symbol chosen by General Dwight D. Eisenhower for the original Allied force was a torch of freedom, which I now hand to my successor, Field-Marshal Alexander.”