SWIFT ADVANCE

Waikato Times, Volume 194, Issue 22354, 22 May 1944, Page 3

SWIFT ADVANCE

GERMANS OUTMANOEUVRED FIGHTING IN LIRI VALLEY LONDON, May 21. The Allied offensive continues without pause, says today’s Allied communique. Severe pressure has been maintained against the enemy all along the battlefront. Eighth Army troops have driven into all the outposts of the Adolf Hitler Line in the Liri Valley, and are closely contacting the main defences. Reconnaissance shows that the Liri Valley is as strong as was expected, and stiff resistance is being encountered. Fifth Army troops continued to drive the enemy back from his main defensive positions. The whole of the Gaeta peninsula has been cleared of the enemy. The foremost French troops now threaten the PicoPontecoiyo road. At the northern end of the Hitler Line, British forces have advanced beyond Aquino village and Polish patriots are in Piedmonte.

When it became apparent today that the Hitler Line was being overrun, a high Allied staff officer said: “The Germans have been outmanoeuvred. Kesselring, either through lack of reserves or because he did not move them quickly enough, failed to get them into the Hitler Line to which he could have withdrawn his retreating forces.” Reuter’s correspondent adds that consequently Allied troops advanced through the Germans faster than was anticipated British Advance to the East The British, advancing beyond Aquino village, in the Liri Valley, are firing against the Germans from a point east of Aquino where they took the German infantry by surprise. The British are mopping-up along the valley south of Aquino and have captured many prisoners in heavily-wooded country, where observation of tank movements is difficult. British tanks smashed through light resistance to the outskirts of Aquino aerodrome, and German parachutists attempting to defend the aerodrome were badly shot up and dispersed. Fifth Army forces penetrated the Hitler Line over a Jbroad front in the rugged mountains south of captured Santa Olivia. The Fifth Army also occupied high points west of the village. The Poles have sent patrols into Piedmonte. 5500 German Prisoners The Germans taken prisoner since the start of the offensive now total over 5500. The French captured intact vast stores at San Andria, Ausona and Esperia, including 40 guns. Today’s German communique says: “The great defensive battle on the south Italian front continues without respite. Our troops on the sector between Gaeta and Pontecorvo, in a grim struggle against far superior enemy infantry and tank forces, fought their way back to new positions. We evacuated the protruding salient of Gaeta. Several heights north of Itri and the township of Campodimele fell into enemy hands after severe fighting.”