ALLIED GAINS IN ITALY

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVI, Issue 23030, 23 October 1944, Page 5

ALLIED GAINS IN ITALY

Striking Advance By N.Z. Troops Germans In Strength Before Bologna By Telegraph—N.Z Press Assn.—Copyright (7.30 p.m.) LONDON, Oct. 22. • The British Eighth Army’s advance is now not only toward Forli, along the mailt route northwest of Rimini, but also along the Adriatic coast toward Ravenna, says a Mediterranean communique. Ccsenatico, 12 miles north-west of Rimini, has been captured, and Cesena is almost all occupied. The communique adds: “Considerable progress has been made by the Eighth Army in the Po Valley north of the Rimini-Bologna road. Cesenatico has been occupied, and the enemy has been driven from all but the western edge of Cesena. On the Fifth Army front east of Road 60, five more important hill features have been taken and held against counter-attacks. Fierce fighting continues on this sector. Naval gunfire support continues to be given the Army near the French-Italian frontier. The United States destroyer Eberle on Wednesday bombarded guns and enemy-occupied buildings in the Ventimiglia area, obtaining several direct hits. The fire was returned by a shore battery, but the Eberle suffered neither damage nor casualties. In this area sweepers are still active clearing minefields, but operations have been hindered by high winds and rough seas." A correspondent says that the Durham Light Infantry, after capturing the last height dominating Cesena from the south, entered the town with strong tank support on Thursday, while Canadian infantry passed through the northern outskirts. Our infantry yesterday crossed Savino, north and west of Cesena, and a small bridgehead was established at a bridge just north-west of the town, while Canadian armour and infantry also reached Savio. Kesselring, in a determined effort to hold up the fifth Army’s drive to Bologna, has been withdrawing troops from all other sectors of the front, 'says the correspondent of the ‘‘Daily

Telegraph” with the Eighth Army. He now has 10 divisions massed before Bologna, compared with three to four when we began the attack against Bologna. Kesselring, by moving these six or seven divisions, has weakened his front on other sectors. The Eighth Army, to prevent any further withdrawals from their sector, are attacking all along the front except the narrow coastal belt. The New Zealanders made the most striking advance in the new Allied attack. After crossing the Pisciatello River near .Macerone, they advanced 3000 yards over a front of three and a half miles. The Rome correspondent of the Exchange Telegraph Agency reports that Mediterranean Air Force heavy bombers to-day bombed strategic targets in Czechoslovakia, Germany and Italy, including oil storage facilities, tank component and armament works. Allied Mediterranean medium and heavy escorted bombers on Friday attacked oil refineries, storage plants and rail facilities in Germany and ammunition plant.-; in Northern Italy. Medium bombers - concentrated their efforts on bridges over the Po with considerable success, while fighters and fighter-bombers attacked gun positions, road traffic and strongpoints in support of the ground forces in the Bologna area. In Yugoslavia our aircraft attacked roads and railways. Last night medium and heavy bombers attacked the airfield at Szombathely, in Hungary, and a bridge at San Benedetto in Italy. During these operations one enemy aircraft was destroyed. Twelve of our heavy bombers and seven other planes are missing from nearly 2150 sorties. Eighth Army troops in Italy are facing the x Germans across the Savio River on a 10-mile front, says the Rome correspondent of the Exchange Telegraph Agency. The New Zealanders are using every type of transport, including bicycles and boats, to keep up the high speed chase of the retreating Germans across the marshes toward the salt pans south of Cervia. The commanding officer at one point commandeered a punt from which he cheered on the men swimming the river. New Zealand armour fighting further Inland, crossed a stream, pressed on through demolitions and advanced to witbin a mile of the Savio River crossing at Mansa, about six miles north o. Cesena. The enemy below this point was forced to withdraw over the river, and is now strongly entrenched in positions originally prepared to counter a possible Allied landing north of Rimini.