EIGHTH AND FIFTH ARMIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 September 1943, Page 3

EIGHTH AND FIFTH ARMIES

On the Salerno Battlefront HOLD ON BEACH-HEADS FIRMLY ESTABLISHED THIRD PHASE OF CAMPAIGN OPENED , LONDON, September 17. The British Eighth Army has linked up with the Fifth Army on the Salerno front. • Today’s Allied communique states: On the Fifth Army s front, at the end of bitter fighting, our beach-heads have been firmly established. The enemy’s efforts to recapture the beachheads failed and our forces have resumed the initiative. “Three enemy counter-attacks were repelled yesterday. Prisoners were taken, and salients made by the previous enemy attacks were reduced. The naval and air support of the ground forces continues to be excellent. ” The communique also stated that Eighth Army patrols had made contact on the east coast with the troops from the Taranto area. Bombers of the North-West African and Middle East commands attacked the Potenza railway junction on Wednesday night and yesterday, and other aircraft attacked enemy transport. No enemy planes were encountered. A correspondent at Allied headquarters comments that the Fifth Army’s latest attack marks the opening of the third phase of the campaign. The first task was to land; the second was to hold; and the third is to expand. Further enemy counter-attacks are to be expected, but the army yesterday morning recovered ground to a depth" of eight miles inland at one point. General Alexander has described the Fifth Army’s operations as a magnificent job of work. A correspondent with the army says that the recent German counter-attacks were made mainly with small battle groups of mobile infantry and tanks, which infiltrated the lines. The Germans also employed agents to try to spread gloom among the Allied troops. Their light mobile forces would put in an appearance at one spot and then withdraw rapidly to repeat the process elsewhere. The advantage to the enemy from these tactics rapidly diminished as our men “got wise’’ to them and learnt how to counter them;