VILLAGES TAKEN

Waikato Times, Volume 194, Issue 22247, 17 January 1944, Page 3

VILLAGES TAKEN

SLOW ADVANCE IN ITALY FRENCH AND AMERICANS WIDESPREAD AIR RAIDS (Official Wireless) I (Received Jan. 17, 1 p.m.) LONDON, Jan. 16 French and American troops continued to advance today on a front . of 10 miles in the north and central sectors of the Fifth Army, and in i seme places advanced another mile j states a correspondent at Allied ‘headquarters in North Africa. Threatening Cassino from their I right front, the French captured the village ct' Cardito, situated on the central lateral read from Colli to i Atina, three miles to the north-east lof Aquafendata, and kept up the pressure towards the west after taking a village cn Monte Broche, 3600 i feet high. Other places overlooking portions !of the lateral road also were captured by the French. They kept/up the same pressure further south and stormed and captured the village of Villa Rotona. 2\ miles from Aqualond ata. and are marching toward another well-defended village. San Elia. Th r -* have reached a point two miles east of it. Eighth Army troops continued vigorously successful patrolling in the Orsogna area. British troops raided enemy outposts and after hard fighting captured prisoners and inj dieted heavy casualties cn the enemy. | Another British patrol also attacked enemy positions south of Civitella, , taking prisoners. New Zealand Patrols i In the same area New* Zealand patrols probed far into enemy territory and were able to man tne guns of some of our disabled tanks, which i they found in no-man’s-land, and I turn them on the enemy positions. I Fortresses and Liberators turned j their attention on Saturday to rail installations and communication lines. Most of the targets were in the Florence area. Liberators bombed railway yards at Prato. . They were escorted by Lightnings and met ino enemy aircraft. Fortresses carried ! cut widespread attacks on enemy i supply routes, bombing rail and road targets at Obrieto, Poggibonsi, Cer- ; taldo and Arezzo, all on the main line to Rome. I 'Railway bridges and the highway at Proto and Civitanovo, on the east coast south-west cf Ancona, and port 1 installations and railway yards at Cicitavecchia were also bombed. Mitchells attacked the railway junction lof Foligno, midway between Rome i and Flroencc.. scoring hits on tracks. ! Marauders bombed three railway 1 bridges at Orvieto. Fighter-bemb-I ers attacked a supply dump and rail- ; head at San Valentino, la miles west ! of Cheti, causing several large fires | and explosions. Kittyhawks scored hits on 35-ft. ; motor vessels in Sibenik harbour. ! Yugoslavia, and bombed and strafed i two torpedo-boats, j Ahead of the Fifth Army, fighters and nghter-bombers attacked deI fended positions and communication ‘ lines.

_ Two aircraft are missing from all these operations.