MOUNTAIN FIGHTING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 September 1943, Page 6

MOUNTAIN FIGHTING

ON APPROACH TO NAPLES TRANSPORT DIFFICULTIES. GERMANS REPORT TERRIFIC STRUGGLE. (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) (Received This Day, 11.20 a.m.) LONDON, September 26. Reuter’s correspondent with the Fifth Army says the battles in which the Germans were pushed back from the mountain fastnesses verging on the Nocera Road resemble that for Longstop Hill and ether battles for Tunisian heights. Transport in many sectors is possible only by pack mules. Well - n- al'-l Ge-m'-n artillery and mortar positions must be wip'd ou ni by no. Ail ed bombers are ceaselessly hammering road junctions and enemy positions before the advancing Fifth Army. The Associated Press says the Americans of the Fifth Army have advanced 30 miles in six days. The advance was considerably inland, but the exact line is not revealed, for security reasons. Reports from Axis sources say the British and the Germans are locked in a terrifie struggle north-west of Salerno. Allied warships again approached the coast, supporting the land forces with heavy naval guns. FOGGIA PLAIN ENTERED BY EIGHTH A&VIY NEAR APPROACH TO VALUABLE AIRFIELDS (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright! (Received This Day, 11.0 a.m.) LONDON, September 26. The Eighth Army, which has advanced 300 miles since landing at Reggio, is now swarming on to the Foggia Plain, less than 25 miles south of Foggia. Marshal Kesselring is still avoiding battle against General Montgomery’s swiftly-moving forces, and the Luftwaffe’s evacuation of twelve satellite airfields around the big enemy air base of Foggia may be significant. However the evacuation of these airfields may not mean that Foggia will fall easily. Roads across the Appenines branch out from Foggia towards Naples and Rome. There are also other routes northwards. Possession of Foggia would give the Allies a stranglehold on the South-Eastern Italian communications. Possession of the airfields would enable additional and valuable air support to be given the Fifth Army. The Eighth Army advanced 25 miles yesterday and brushed aside some enemy resistance to enter the plain of Foggia. The composite Anglo-American Fifth Army, at the other end of the Allied Tne, is advancing yard by yard across mountain defiles a few miles north of Salerno. The Fifth Army, moving forward on a 25 mile front, holds a bottleneck on the road from Nocera to Naples and also key positions on the road to Benevento. Units of the Fifth Army captured Cavaditerreni, four miles north-west of Salerno, and then advanced another mile and captured Senerchiavalva.

An Algiers communique states: “On the Adriatic coast, our troops have reached the line of the Ofanto River and their advance continues successfully in the entire area. The towns of Spinazzola and Atelia have been captured. The Fifth Army is fighting its way forward through difficult country, and the Germans are being forced to give ground slowly.” The arrival at the Ofanto River line represents a rapid advance in the direction of the Gulf of Manfredonia. The river joins the sea five miles north-west of Barletta and 23 miles north-west of Molfetta, the capture of which was reported by the Algiers radio last night. Between Barletta and Molfetta lies another important town, Trani. Spinazzola is a junction where the railway from Barletta meets the line north-west from Altamura to Melfi. It is 26 miles south-west of Barletta. The capture of Atelia, some ten miles south of Melfi, represents a still further advance from the former position. “DEAD AS POMPEII” LACK OF ANY SIGN OF LIFE IN NAPLES. VIEWED FROM ALLIED BOMBER. (Received This Day, 1.15 p.m.) LONDON, September 26. “Naples is as dead a? Pompeii,” says a British United Press correspondent who flew over the city in a Mitchell bomber. He adds: “The Mitchell came in low over Vesuvius and circled around the city, but there was no antiaircraft fire and no fighter opposition. There was no sign, of traffic or smoke from chimneys, but great clouds of smoke from burning oil refineries south-east of the city. Everything in the harbour has been flattened, either by bombs or by German demolition squads, but in the town area apparently there is little damage. There are nine ships in the harbour, three of which are lying on their sides. The other six are listing heavily. The lack of any sign of life in the city suggests either that the city has been evacuated or that a curfew has been imposed by the Germans.

BRENNER PASS RAILWAY ATTACKED BY ITALIANS. AND BY FLYING FORTRESSES. (Received This Day, 12.50 p.m.) LONDON, September 26. Strong bands of Italians are concentrating attacks against the Brenner Pass railway, says the Zurich correspondent of the Stockholm newspaper “Dagens Nyheter.” This line, which is one of the main routes for the reinforcement of the German forces in Italy, has been hammered at three points by Flying Fortresses during the weekend, says the British United Press Algiers correspondent. The main weight of the bomber attacks fell on Bolzano, Verona and Bologna, Verona which is the scene of the last meeting in Italy between Hitler and Mussolini, is now reported to be Rommel’s headquarters. Bolzano is a bottleneck in the German communications lines, through which the main flow of supplies is passing. If the lino

is blocked, even for a brief period, it would be a heavy blow against Rommel’s chances of holding up the Allied advance. APPEAL BY MUSSOLINI ADDRESSED TO ITALIAN TROOPS. NEW FORCED LABOUR DECREE. (Received This Day, 11.20 a.m.) LONDON, September 26. According to the Berlin radio Mussolini, appealing to the Italian troops, said: “I know you will gather around me. It is better to meet a glorious end cn the battlefield than to live as traitors.” The Republican Fascist Party has issued a decree extending compulsory labour in German-occupied Italy to Italians aged 18 to 23.