PIVOT TOWN CAPTURED

Waikato Times, Volume 193, Issue 22204, 25 November 1943, Page 5

PIVOT TOWN CAPTURED

SUCCESSES IN ITALY HIGHWAY TO ROME (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) (Received Nov. 25, 11.40 a.m.) LONDON, Nov. 24 The Eighth Army’s capture of Alfedena, a pivot tewn of Kesselring’s winter line communications, resulted from an advance of five miles. Alfedena controls two main roads northward along the mountain backbone to the trans-Italy highway between Rome and Pescara. The cap-j-ture of San Angelo,, eight miles ; north-west of Agnone, was the rej ward of a six miles push. ! Reuter’s Algiers correspondent says | that the Eighth Army has driven a i wedge five miles deep into the German Appenine front and with the capture cf San Angelo has made further progress in consolidating its positions on the banks of the Sangro j river. | The Cairo radio reported that units jof General Montgomery’s infantry j have crossed the Sangro river, j There has been a further increase in heavy artillery fire in the Venafro ! area. Reuter adds that Italy has been the graveyard of the Luftwaffe chiefs’ re- | putations. Field-Marshal Wolfram von Richthofen, whose relations with Kesselring have long been strained, is the latest to be relieved of his command, leaving Kesselring in full charge of the air forces in Italy. Germans Destroy Village Alfedena village had been destroyed by the enemy. Further north, where heavy rain fell, there was little change. Light coastal craft of the Allied navies are again active on the west coast of Italy. On Sunday night they sank a lighter laden with petrol near Leghorn. Yesterday motor transport in Albania were attacked, but other operations were prevented by bad weather. On Monday night light bombers attacked motor transport between Ortona and Pescara.