8TH ARMY MOVES FORWARD

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 15, 13 October 1943, Page 5

8TH ARMY MOVES FORWARD

Appalling Weather LULL ON VOLTURNO

FRONT Unlikely To Last Long (By Telegraph.—Press Assn—Copyright.) LONDON, October 11.

Appalling weather in Italy is alt’ecting not only the Fifth and Eighth Armies but also the vast movement of supplies behind the lines, says Reuter’s correspondent at Allied headquarters. Reuter quotes a military spokesman as saying that the German resistance is lieeoining stronger along the whole line and that there will be hard slogging ahead, socially along the Volturno River.

A correspondent at Naples says that the lull on the Volturno front is not expected to last long. General Clark’s preparations for a big assault are proceeding unhindered, and when the attack comes it will carry a hard punch.. It is beyond doubt that the. Germans count the Volturno as an important defence line and that a successful crossing will definitely put the Fifth Army on the road to Home, hard though that road may be. The Algiers correspondent of the British United Press says: “This is the problem facing the Fifth Army The Volturno varies from 600 to 1000 ft. in width and is flooding rapidly. The bridges have gone, and pontoons must be erected under German fire from the north bank. The north bank itself is slippery and treacherous. Our guns, which had to be manhandled into positions in the mud as in Flanders in the last war, are now bamnnering the German emplacements on t'he north bank. Crossing is a problem which needs tough genius to solve.” Allied troops, by capturing Pontelandolfo, are now only IS miles south of the next big road communications, the centre of Vinchiaturo, which is on the 'main Foggia-Rome motor road. Gradual Progress. According to the German news agency, Allied reconnaisasnce troops have been engaged at Santa Croce, -about eight miles north-east of Pontelandoll’o. Along the Eighth Army front from the Adriatic to the mountain backbone General Montgomery’s troops have advanced between two and three miles in the past 2-1 hours. The bad weather is temporarily bogging transport. Each advance means arduous foot-slogging through mud which has been brought down by the hill streams during fierce rainstorms. . . By capturing Guglionesi, on the north bank of the Bifcrno River, the Eighth Army holds all the high ground overlooking Termoli and the eastern lateral road, reports a correspondent.. The Germans used Guglionesi for their supporting artillery when they attacked lermoli. They had tanks and self-propelled guns in Guglionesi which they withdrew early on Friday afternoon. But after sundown their forces returned and were observed by a patrol. The British attack on the town was made by moonlight, shortly before dawn. The guns put down a barrage on . the German positions and under cover ot the barrage infantry closed in from two sides. The Germans only waited to fire a few machinegun bursts at the infantry and then retired rapidly into the mountains, blowing up the bridges on the northern side of the town.