ALL ALONG THE LINE

Waikato Times, Volume 132, Issue 22152, 25 September 1943, Page 5

ALL ALONG THE LINE

NEW ALLIED OFFENSIVE IN ITALY ADVANCE OF EIGHTH AND FIFTH ARMIES CAPTURE OF TOWNS—STUBBORN GERMAN RESISTANCE LONDON, Sept. 24. British and American troops in Italy have launched an offensive all along the line. The Fifth Army is battering at the hills leading to the plain of Naples and the Eighth Army is advancing rapidly to the eastward. Stubborn defence is being offered by the Germans south of Naples. Even when the plain is reached progress will still be difficult because of the fortifications built by the Italians in anticipation of an invasion. The Eighth Army has advanced 34 miles in as many hours and have captured Altamura among other places. Within the past 24 hours the situation north of Salerno, which has been more or less static for some days, has loosened considerably, says a reporter with the Fifth Army in an earlier message. British patrols are pushing into the surrounding hill country and Allied pressure is increasing against the Germans who are still clinging tenaciously to their hill positions. The country here is pre' ; pitious, the correspondent adds. A few well-situated machine-gdUs, mortars and field guns can hold up much larger forces in the narrow defiles. The Germans have established these weapons in such positions and they are very difficult to eliminate by our own shellfire from either land batteries or warships. Before dawn yesterday, Allied guns on land and sea opened up a shattering barrage aimed at the cliff outposts where many of these German defensive positions are. The earth shook again and again as our guns went into action and soon the dry undergrowth along the enemy-held cliffs was blazing furiously.