INSIDE GUSTAV LINE

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 195, 16 May 1944, Page 5

INSIDE GUSTAV LINE

Important French Progress HIGH NAZI LOSSES

LONDON, May 1 5. Troops of the Eighth Army have driven deeper into the German defences and overcome fierce resistance at many points, and have also mopped up strongpoints which were by-passed in the first 24 hours of the attack, reports a communique from the Allied headquarters in Italy. French troops of the Fifth Army have quickly exploited their capture of an important mountain bastion m the enemy defences, and infantry and tanks have captured further hill positions and several villages. Thus, says the communique, a significant breach has been made in the Gustav Line. German strongpoints have been by-passed, and mopping-up continues.

American troops have also advanced and cut a road between one of the French-held villages and the coastal town of Troina. A large number of prisoners have been taken, and tlf enemy has suffered high casualties. Heavy fighting continues along the whole front Division’s New’Fate. A correspondent says that tlie number of enemy prisoners taken since the start of the attack is more than 2000. A German division which was reformed after Stalingrad has lost particularly heavily. The whole of its defence positions was ' overrun, and a number of the battalion commanders were captured. The Eighth Army’s bridgehead over the Rapido River is now at least 2000 yards deep in places. More bridges have been erected, and many tanks are across. In the northern piirt of the Liri Valley front the Germans counter-attacked yesterday. ■ , Our air forces . yesterday made 2uoo sorties, while only 30 German planes were seen over the Rattle.area in daylight. The Allied bombers attacked seven objectives in the Po Valley, and also , targets between Rome and Florence. Six of our planes are missing.” VICIOUS STRUGGLE Allied Advances During Weekend BLASTING WAY FORWARD {By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.) LONDON, May 14.. The new Allied offensive in Italy is “going great guns” froip the heights above' Cassino to the mouth of the Gangliano River, says “The Times” correspondent at Allied headquarters. As was expected, it is meeting with stubborn resistance. . , A The Germans are fortified on the heights and in valleys with every known device’ of crossfire, from guns, machineguns. barbed wire and minefields. The enemy have counter-attacked against our newly-won positions again and again—five times on the heights north of Cassino. • They are ‘being'compelled to throw An men and nftnitionsnn a scale unequalled since the baffles of January gnd February. v . ■ It will soon be seen whether they can stand 'the pace after' the terrific damage Inflicted on their‘communications from the air. ‘ . A-British United Press correspondent gays that the Allies, in the most vicious battles of- the Italian campaign, are. slowly blasting 7 their way into the Gustav Line. No Enemy Withdrawal.

Castelforte, an important outpost of the Gustav Line, was taken after our troops had thrust through a storm of fire. German suicide squads are being Winkled opt of cellars in flan Angelo. At least five towns and nine strategic heights have been taken since the offensive began, but the German counterattacks have been so vicious that many of them changed' hands several times before their final capture. The Bjapido River, as far as can be judged, now lies about a mile behind the Eighth Army. The Germans have made no attempt to withdraw’. They are fighting doggedly for every vantage point. ' Allied tanks and infantry smashed into the CfUStav L ine south of Cassino this morning, overrunning a numper ot German positions and J taking manV prisoners in qn outflanking qriye which threatens the enemjrs entire .positions at. Cassino-, says the United Press correspondent. The ‘Germans threw in large parachutist forces in the effort to halt the advance. ■ , '' ; ; ~ American troops on the lower Gangliano Valley captured the village of Tame, lost it to a German counter-attack, and recaptured it later-in the day. The village of Montemajo, seven miles north-east of Minturno, was taken by French troops after a brief struggle. Gurkhas of an Indian division captured 60 prisoners when they took San Angelo, says Reuter’s correspondent with the Eighth Army. The initial attack resulted in the capture of only half the town. Exploitation, of the Allied positions proved'so difficult that the command decided to pull the Indians but and launch another full-scale attack. Artillery concentrated 'against the village, and when the troops went in the resistance had been softene’d. The Gurkhas, with fixed bayonets and kukris, .moved swiftly through the streets, killing those who resisted. The attackers lost only 10 men. Tank Fleet in Action.

Scores of tanks, brought 'across the river two miles below Cassino, enabled the British to overrun the country so swiftly that they were ajile to round up batches of prisoners, including many paratroops. •, The British United Press correspondent with the Eighth Army says that fol--lowing mopping up at San Angelo separate briageheads across the Ifapido appear to have been into a firm penetration of 1000 to ISQO yards into the forward defences of the Gustav Line. . . The Eighth Army s progress in the Liri Valley is slow, due to the vigorous German resistance. , c French troops who took Montetaito took nearly 600 prisoners. The French advhnee through the Urunci hills is shielding the left flank of our thrust in the Liri Valley from harassing gunfire. A'later report siiys that. Allied troops have captured Santa Maria Infante, a village on a track across the hills from the Minturno lateral roadway. Reuter’s correspondent with the I'itth Army says that the capture.of the village not only brings a section of this road, which runs from Cassino to the coast, under Allied control, but takes Allied troops to the western side of the mountainous triangle of which Minturno is the base. ATTRITIONAL DEFENCE LONDON, May 14. The German news agency’s commentator, Praegner, says that the battie between the Tyrrhenian Sea and ( assino has flared up into extreme violence. He says that the Allied forces total 10 di\ isions. The German command, as before, is pursuing preconceived tactics of forcing the British and Americans to expend the maximum effort for every yard of ground.' The German news agency’s war correspondent in Italy says that the intensity of the artillery fire on both sides of the Anzio bridgehead is growing. The Allied preparations at Anzio are still going on, and men and material are still being landed.

SPRIGBOKS ARRIVE LONDON. May 15. It is disclosed that a South African armoured division is now in Italy.

LONG FIGHT AHEAD Solid Allied Confidence (JBy Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright.)

LONDON, May 14. The Naples correspondent of the New York “Herald-Tribune” points puf that the Eighth Army is facing a difficult job in consolidating the river bridgehead, as the enemy’s guns, hidden in the hills overlooking the Liri Valley, are heavily 'shelling the river-crossings, lhe Liri Valley is vitally important because it is the natural geographical approach to Rome. It is flanked on both sides by formidable mountains where the Germans are firmly entrenched. In addition, the enemy have thrown two barriers across the yalley—the Gustav Line and, five miles to the rear,, the Adolf Hitler Line.’ T he correspondent adds: “Our advances do not represent any significant'penefratipn, but the Allied commanders envisage a long campaign of attrition.” Solid confidence, without cocksureness, is the keynote of alf the Allied comments bn the Italian offensive, and military commentators generally endorse a German news agency statement that "the invasion master plan has been put into operation by the Allies.” ' The early successes in Italy are carefully but not over-emphasjzed ih. Ppnddn, either in the news columns or in the commentaries. The general tone is “so far, so good, but only the outer shell of the Gustav Line has'yet beeh met.” General Sir Robert Adam, AdjutantGeneral of the British Forces, said there would be no walk-oyer, but he added : ‘,VV e Have started well, and we shall hear some news in a day or two. We shall have other offensives from this end and from Russia, and we hope it is going to be finished this year.””