Germans Still Fighting Savagely

Manawatu Times, Volume 69, Issue 64, 18 March 1944, Page 5

Germans Still Fighting Savagely

LONDON, March 16. German troops are still fighting back savagely behind the rubble of Cassino, laying down the maximum possible fire against engineers who are clearing the way througn the rums for Allied tanas and infantry, says Reuter’s correspondent at Cassino. The Fifth Army has already fought its way through hellish conditions of torrential rain and mud to occupy three-quarters of the town. The bulk of the opposition is coming from mortars and machineguns, with Bnipers keeping up a nuisance fire. The German arallery is also active, but many of the hiliside batteries are firing, indiscriminately and inaccurately. The efiects of yesterday’s bombing have not yet been completely assessed, hut the primary objective, the wiping out of German strongpoints, was achieved. The heaviest fighting is going on in a triangle where the highway from Piedmont enters the southern part of Cassino. Allied tanks and infantry have also made further progress in the hills northwest of the town. The threat to Monastery Hill increases hourly, but the whole operation is contingent on a number of local actions, the most important of which is securing firm bridgeheads across the river. Allied guns put up a smoke screen covering the highway, over which tanks are entering Cassino. The British United Press correspondent says it must be stressed that the enemy is still putting everything he can into defending the entrance to the Liri Valle,. The AlLed iorces in tne Anzio beachhead also went over to the offensive yesterday, when Americans captured two strongpoints in the centre of the perimeter, says Reuter. General von Mackensen immediately threw in a counterattack, but the Americans are clinging on to the newly-won positions in a hammer and tongs battle which is reported to be still raging. The Germans are now using a ne-w grappling device in the beachhead area in their efforts to explode Allied mines The German News Agency commentator, Praegner, stated that the Allies this morning continued the air assault against Cassino. He claimed that small German formations penetrated the Anglo-American positions west and east of the Anzio-Carrocetto Road.