ALLIES ATTACK IN ITALY

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 193, 13 May 1944, Page 7

ALLIES ATTACK IN ITALY

Secret Transfer Of Eighth Army CONCERTED BLOW

LONDON, May 12.

A powerful attack against the Germans’Gustav Line, stretching across western Italy from the coast to the Apennines, has been launched by the Allied armies. A special communique from General Sir Harold Alexander s headquarters reveak that the attack followed the secret transfer of the British Eighth Army across the central Apenn n mountain chain from the Adriatic front. , The regrouping of the Allied armies in Italy has now been successfully completed without enemy interference, the communique says. The operation was covered by continuous air action and patrol activity along the whole front. The complicated and heavy road and rail movements of men and materials were smoothly earned out. All formations were involved in the regrouping, which was accomplished in bad weather. The Fifth and Eighth Armies, supported by the Mediterranean Tactical Air Force, opened the attack on the Gustav Line at 11 o’clock last night. According to a correspondent, the assault began with a smashing artillery barrage along the whole of what has become known as the main Italian front. Lieutenant-General Sir Oliver Leese’s Eighth Army went forward in the area west of Cassino, and General Mark Clark's Fifth Army attacked on the coastal flank. These armies are attacking along the mountain barrier between them and the Allied forces in the Anzio beach-head. The Germans are reported to have evacuated the civilians for about 20 miles behind the Gustav Line. General Leese told correspondents that the Allied task is to break through a series of natural positions strongly held- by the enemy. These positions are the strongest the British Army has encountered in the present war.

A message just received says there is no indiaction so far of how the offensive is going, except that, as was expected, heavy enemy resistance has been met with. Hasty Defence Work. LONDON, May 11. Field-Marshal Kesselring is nervous about the defences of the Gustav Line round Cassino, says Reuter’s correspondent at Allied headquarters in Italy. He quotes front-line dispatches today reporting that in the past 48 hours the Germans have ‘been hurriedly rushing up defences. The Germans on Monastery Hill keep the Allied lines north-west of Cassino and also the railway station area constantly lit up at night by flares. These precautions are backed up by increased enemy shelling and mortar fire. Spasmodic artillery and mortar fire have been the only action on the main front in the past 24 hours. The most spectacular action occurred in the beachhead area, where the Americans carried out a successful raid. .' Algiers radio stated that battalions from famous units Of the Italian army are now included in the first group o the Italian Corps of Liberation which is fighting alongside the Allies in ItalyThe Eighth Army in the Adriatic sector has begun a new offensive which so far has been contained by the German defenders. says Vichy radio. Great activity has been reported along the whole

Italian front in the last 24 hours. The Germans attacked the.Anzio beach-head area and improved their positions southwest of Cisterns. Paris radio reports that Allied planes Raided suburbs of Rome yesterday morning, causing considerable damage and civilian casualties. , Today’s communique from Allied neau-. quarters in Italy reports that . patrols were active on all fronts and inflicted casualties on the enemy and took prisoner Medium bombers continued their attacks yesterday on bridges and viaducts on railway lines between Rome and Florence and south of Rome. Fighter-bomb-ers and light bombers attacked, similar targets. The Mediterranean air force flew nearly' 2000 sorties. About 10 enemy jjlaries were active in daylight over the battle area. , The Vatican radio announced that the Pontifical villa of Castel Gandolfo, which enjoys extraterritorial rights, was bombed today for the fourth time. There were no victims, but the damage was considerable. The villa was previously damaged on April 28, May 5, and May 9Marshal Badoglio broadcast an appeal to the people of liberated Italy to co-op-erate in the Government's scheme for the establishment of peoples’ granaries, states a Naples correspondent. Marshal Badoglio said: “Italians must demonstrate how to utilize their country’s resources,” ’