HITLER LINE BREAKING

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 200, 22 May 1944, Page 5

HITLER LINE BREAKING

Great Advance In South NAZI DEFENCES SMASHED

(.By Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright.)

(Received May 21, 11.20 p.m.) LONDON, May 21. The Allied armies in Italy are smashing through the Adolf Hitler Line from end to end. The Eighth Army has swung in with a massive offensive against the Cassino-Rome highway. Many more towns have fallen, and the Germans at Terracino, on the coast less than 20 miles from the Anzio beach-head, are under withering fire from the sea. ' ... A high official at the Allied headquarters made this comment yesterday: “The Hitler Line is collapsing. The Allies in 24 hours have smashed through defences which the Germans took months to build.”

Reuter reports say that the plight of the Germans is now desperate. They have been bounced right off the Hitler Line. The port of Gaeta and also Itri, on the Appian Way, have fallen to the Americans, Piujnarola, four miles south-west of Cassino, to the British, and Santa Lucia, 2| miles north-west of Cassino Monastery, to the Poles, who have sent patrols into nearby Piedimonte. Later reports say that the Americans are now halfway from Gaeta to Terracina, and also halfway from Itri to Fondi. To the north the enemy resistance has stiffened-

The Fifth Army broke into the Hitler Line with the capture of Santa Oliva village and later Monte Cozonella, which is two miles south-east of Pico. In this advance the French encountered a company of Panzer Grenadiers, who fled, abandoning their weapons. A German communique yesterday reported the fall of the village of Campodimele, which is west of Esperia and only about a mile from the Pico-Itri Road. - >

The British, advancing some six miles west of Cassino beyond Aquino village in the. Liri Valley, were yesterday firing against the Germans from a point east of Aquino, where they had taken German infantry by surprise. In mopping'up along the valley south of Aquino the British have captured many prisoners in heavily-wooded country where observation of tank movements is difficult. When British tanks and armoured cars smashed through light resistance to the

outskirts of Aquino aerodrome German parachutists who attempted to defend the aerodrome were badly shot up and dispersed. [A correspondent of The Times in an earlier dispatch said that New Zealand tanks had reached the aerodrome.] The Americans’ advance to Itri was made over rugged, roadless country. When it became apparent yesterday that the Hitler Line was being overrun, a high Allied staff officer declared: “The Germans have been outmanoeuvred. Kesselring, either through lack of reserves or because he did not move them quicklv enough, failed to get them into the Hitler Line, to which he has withdrawn his retreating forces.” , Reuter adds that the Allied troops consequently have advanced through the Germans faster than had been expected. The Germans taken .prisoner since the 'start of the offensive now total more than 5500. The grench captured intact vast stores at San Andria, Ausina and Esperia, including 40 guns.