GERMAN POSITION IN ITALY

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 226, 21 June 1944, Page 5

GERMAN POSITION IN ITALY

Withdrawal Of Troops From North DEFENCE PROBLEM (By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (Received June 20, 11.30 pan.) LONDON, June 20. Unless the Genmaii High Command is prepared to send fairly heavy reinforcements to Italy, the Allies will very quidkly force the Gothic Line from Pisa to Rimini and. debouch into the Po Valley. This opinion is expressed by the “Daily Telegraph’s” military correspondent, Lieutenant-General Martin. Since the start of 'the battle on the Gustav Line the Germans have reinforced their 10th and 14th Armies at various times with eight divisions from the north. There is now probably only one division left in the whole of northern Italy, the remainder, perhaps 24 in all, are involved in the prolonged retreat. The line of the Po River would be an impossible defensive position if the Gothic Line is pierced. Almost inevitably the Germans would have to split their armies, the 14th retiring on the Alpine passes which lead from Piedmont to France and the 10th toward Brenner. Heavy rain has again interfered with ■the movement of Allied troops, but advances continue. On the Adriatic, the Allies are across the Tronto River. In the central hills they have advanced on both sides of Perugia, 1'29 miles northwest of Rome. They are inside the city, but are still encountering sporadic German resistance. Allied troops have reached the southern shore of Lake Trasimeno, 12 miles west of Perugia. It is announced that since the start of the campaign in Italy, the Allies have taken 27,000 prisoners. Fighting Round Perugia. LONDON, June 19. Today’s Allied communique from Italy says that heavy fighting has occurred round Perugia and at Citta Della Pieve. Fifth Army troops on the coastal sector have taken Campomassico. Algiers radio reported that the British troops had entered the southern Suburbs of Perugia. It added that the Fifth Army continued l its advance against stiffening resistance, French forces have advanced to Radicofani. Bastia, between Perugia and Assisi in central Italy, has been occupied by the Eighth Army, according to a correspondent at Allied headquarters. It was here that the enemy launched a strong counterattack which was repulsed while a bridgehead was being established across the river Chiascio. Driving toward Perugia from the south, armoured units took Teruta and passed on five miles to San Martino Delpico. Large numbers of prisoners continue to come in, and it is considered that- the enemy is suffering a proportionate number of killed. The town of Piegaro, on a road junction 19 miles south-west of Perugia, has been cleared of the enemy. i Fighter-Bombers Out. Fighter-bombers yesterday attacked' communications in southern France, shipping, motor transport, railway lines, roads, and other objectives on the west coast bf Italy, and Elba. Heavy bombers struck at roads and motor transport north of the battle area, shipping and communications in Yugoslavia. Other operations were cancelled because of the generally unfavourable weather. One enemy plane was destroyed during the operations yesterday. All of ours returned. ’ The Mediterranean Air Force flew over 300 sorties. , The Germans have withdrawn their lines north of. Perugia in order to evade a British tank attack, said the German news agency's commentator Praegner. Perugia is an important road and railway centre in the Apennines on the highway from Rome to Florence, Praegner claimed' that the. Germans subsequently stopped a British thrust after ctase-range fighting north of the town. “Bitter all-day fighting, on a large scale preceded the German withdrawal,” he said. “The German command had to make rapid use of its available reserves to prevent the British breaking through and interfering with the orderly execution of the German moves.”

OCCUPATION OF ELBA 1800 Nazis Captured LONDON, June 19. “Operations on Elba were successfully concluded at noon today when all organized resistance ceased,” says a special communique from Allied Headquarters in North Africa. The rapid advance of the French troops prevented the evacuation of all but a small number of the enemy garrison. Eighteen hundred were captured and also a large quantity of abandoned material.