HEADED FOR NAPLES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 September 1943, Page 4

HEADED FOR NAPLES

FIFTH ARMY ADVANCE ON WHOLE FRONT ;n difficult country AND AGAINST STRONG RESISTANCE. (By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright) (Received This Day, 12.30 p.m.) LONDON, September 28. Although advancing less spectacularly than the Eighth Army, whose capture of Foggia will have perhaps immediate and important results, the Fifth Army also fought forward on its whole front yesterday, making Marshal Kesselring’s position in the Naples area markedly worse. The Fifth Army is now only a few miles from the Naples Plain. British troops are already on the hills dominating Nocera, from which _ the Germans have withdrawn to a position on the far side, looking down on the village. The British troops have thrust forward about two miles in the terrible country north of Salerno, says Reuter’s correspondent at Allied Headquarters. The Germans still hold higher mountain positions, about thi’ee miles southwest of Nocera. Fierce fighting is in progress at the Caramel Pass, which must be opened up before armoured forces can be utilised. This pass commands the neck of the Sorrento Peninsula, and from it the road swings north-west to Nocera. where it drops to the open plain. The Germans are fighting hard and the battle is assuming the character of a race against the rains. Our immediate aim is to reach the plain before the ground is too soft for armoured forces, but no quick victory is expected when the plain is reached, if the Germans decide to fight, because guarding Naples are two bottlenecks around Vesuvius—a narrow one on the seaward side and a broader but still awkward one inland. EIGHTH ARMY THRUST The Algiers radio tonight stated that the German retreat on the eastern seccontinuing and also that the Eighth Army, in the central sector, has occupied Vcncsa, about ton miles east of Molli, the the capture of which was reported earlier. A British United Press correspondent says the AAl.es’ thrust in the central sector threatens to cut off from Marshal Kesselring’s main body all the German troops remaining on the plain of Foggia and the hilly country east of the main Appenine chain. This thrust is also outflanking the German positions at Naples. A strong Eighth Army mobile armoured corps, supported by the Air Force, raced 25 miles to capture Foggia, after a bloody encounter in which the Germans suffered the heaviest casualties. The enemy once again was taken by surprise. It is difficult to see how the Germans can avoid a general withdrawal northwards unless it has been decided to continue fighting at Salerno to give more time for the further destruction of port installations at Naples. A Reuter correspondent says the Germans are intensifying their efforts to wreck Naples as the Allies thrust nearer. Air photographs show that they are sinking ships and carrying out demolitions daily. GERMANS FALLING BACK ON HILLS NORTH OF SALERNO ENEMY CLAIMS REGARDING FOGGIA (Received This Day, 12.50 p.m.) LONDON, September 28. Mr Morley Richards, the “Daily Express” military writer, says the Germans are falling back on the hills north of Salerno to avoid being outflanked by the Eighth Army. The desperate defence of the mountainous approaches to Naples is not an attempt to hold the city but is planned to give the main German forces time to escape from the Eighth Army’s clutches. As the Eighth Army moves in the chain of airfields around Foggia will add ■greatly to the weight of the attack on the enemy rear. Some military observers in London believe that the Germans may soon withdraw the whole of their forces from Southern and Central Italy and man the River Po defences. Today’s German communique says British and Americans have landed new forces in Southern Italy and that their pressure has increased considerably. The communique claims that the German troops in the Foggia area disengaged according to plan and withdrew to prepared mountain positions. Foggia was evacuated after the destruction of all important war communications, adds the communique. The Berlin radio’s version of the Foggia evacuation says the German rearguards attacked the British on the airfield of the town from the front and from- the flanks and that the British suffered considerable casualties during the day in fierce fighting, in which their advance was completely stopped. The evacuated ground had been thoroughly mined. PLAIN OF NAPLES SHELLED BY BRITISH WARSHIPS WITH EXCELLENT RESULTS LONDON, September 28. British warships have been shelling the German positions in the plain of Naples, along the base of Vesuvius. This is the first time warships have ■ added their weight to the offensive so far north of Salerno. An American Army observation post' did the spotting and the British Navy took its range accordingly. The results were excellent. NOCERA EVACUATED ACCORDING TO BRITISH CORRESPONDENT MAY MEAN BREAK-THROUGH INTO PLAIN (Received This Day, 1.25 p.m.) LONDON, September 28. Marshal Kesselring has evacuated Nocera, says a “Daily Express” corres.pqhdent, in a despatch late tonight from •Allied Headquarters. He adds that this may indicate, that the Fifth Army has ,bls>keh through into the Naples Plain. The Fifth Army continues its advance today west of Vesuvius. j