CAPTURE OF CUPELLO

Waikato Times, Volume 193, Issue 22189, 8 November 1943, Page 3

CAPTURE OF CUPELLO

HEAVY ENEMY FIRE DEFIED (Official Wireless') (Received Nov. 8, noon) RUGBY, Nov. 7 Describing the capture of Cupello, mentioned on Sunday in a North African land communique, a correspondent with the Eighth Army says the Germans had evidently decided io fight for the town in order to hold the central section of the lateral roads for the movement of their troops, which have been holding a line in the mountains. In the central sector, where the enemy is gradually pulling back further into the hills towards the two roads that run through the mountains to the next lateral road, it would appear that

the enemy will fight the next delaying action at the river Sinello before making a real effort to hold us at the Sangro river, which it is generally expected he will make his main defensive line in order to protect the main lateral road from Pescaro to Rome.

The enemy had a number of selfpropelled guns in Cupello, and when our infantry, supported by tanks, moved down the road on Saturday morning towards the town they were met with heavy shell fire, mortars and bombs. The Germans had switched in their parachutists to try to hold the town and fierce fighting developed and went on for some hours until another of our infantry columns, under cover of our guns, attacked across the hills from San Salvo and succeeded in infiltrating into the town, where fighting continued in the streets between our infantry and the parachutists until our tanks were able to get into the town.