FIGHTING IN ITALY

Waikato Times, Volume 132, Issue 22150, 23 September 1943, Page 5

FIGHTING IN ITALY

I SALERNO PLAIN CLEAR GERMANS’ BIG LOSSES lcnliert cress Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright, (Received Sept. 23, noon) LONDON, Sept. 22 Reuter’s correspondent at the Allied Headquarters says that British forces took ban Cipriano and Americans took Campalna and Monte Corvina and Ravella. When the Fifth Army landed on the Salerno beaches tne British allotted the northern zone to the Americans and the southern sector to the British, who captured Salerno town and mountain and passed northward and north-eastward. The American sector saw some of the bloodiest fighting before tne bridgehead was firmly established. The Salerno plain today is cleared of tiie enemy, but is littered with tanks and guns. Heavy casualties have been inflicted on the Germans and large numbers of prisoners have been taken. A fair percentage of the prisoners are non-Germans. They are levies from controlled countries, indicating a shortage of German manpower. News from the Adriatic coast sector comes from a British United Press correspondent, who says that the Germans who are holding positions somewhere north of Bari have been sending down armoured patrols to probe the strength of our advancing forces. As we advanced they became less curious. The Germans are moving back so fast that they have no time for demolitions. As a result our troops are rolling over bridges which they expected to find blown up. Cleared of Germans The entire Salerno valley has been cleared of Germans and the Fifth Army in this sector is pursuing the enemy into the hills many miles back from the landing beaches. In the northern Salerno section British elements are sticking doggedly to the slowly retreating Germans, who are taking full advantage of the mountainous terrain to delay the advance along the road to Naples. With the acquisition of airfields the Allied air strength has grown tremendously. The Luftwaffe will need to be at full strength if it intends to cope with Air Marshal Tedder’s forces. Under permanent air cover the troops and supplies continue to pour into the original beachhead, which now looks more like a great new port in a stage of construction than the bathing resort it was two weeks ago. American engineers have done wonders in building devices to ensure the rapid unloading of men, supplies and equipment, and the original beach masters, who stood courageously at the water’s edge with shells landing all round in the first days, have promoted themselves to harbour masters, a title they will deserve.