STEADY ADVANCE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 November 1943, Page 3

STEADY ADVANCE

MADE BV THE EIGHTH ARMY ON EASTERN PART OF ITALIAN FRONT APPROACH TO RIVER SANGRO DEFENCES At the Adriatic end of the Italian front General Montgomery’s troops are advancing on the River Sangro. According to the latest reports the Eighth Army units are in the hills a few miles short of the Sangro, on which the enemy has prepared strong defences. All along its front the Eighth Army has made advances of up to five miles and it controls 20 miles of an important main road running inland across Italy from the Adriatic. The Fifth Army is fighting in the foothills on the approach to the Garigliano Valley. Beyond Isernia the Allied troops have occupied territory the enemy fought hard to retain. Allied aircraft continue to attack vigorously along the battlefront and have also raided across the Adriatic. An enemy ship in the Dalmatian port of Split was bombed and left sinking. GOOD PROGRESS MADE ON WHOLE FRONT. AIR & LAND OPERATIONS. (British Official Wireiess.) (Received This Day, 10.25 a.m.) RUGBY, November 8. In Italy good progress has been made on the whole front by our land forces. Air forces, in close support, also attacked objectives in Yugoslavia. A land communique states: “On the Fifth Army front, several counter-attacks were repulsed and further advances were made. Eighth Army troops, including Indian units, have made progress. The town of Carunchio and the villages of Casalbordino .and Sherni have been captured.” Casalbordino is some 20 miles northwest of Vasto, on the River. Inelvt. Other reports say the Eighth Army has improved its positions around Isernia and that the Fifth Army has taken up positions on the Garigliano River. An air communique states: “Medium bombers of the North-West African Air Force attacked the harbour of Ancona on Sunday, while others, attacked Ulcinj, in Yugoslavia. Medium and light bombers, fighter-bombers and fighters were over the battle area, attacking gun positions, rail communications, road junctions and troop concentrations. Fighter-bombers, escorted by fighters, attacked the harbour of Split, on the Dalmatian coast. One vessel was left sinking and a large petrol dump was hit. From all operations one of our aircraft is missing. It is now known that two additional enemy aircraft were destroyed on November 6.” A Navy communique states: “It is learned that the port of Durazzo, in Albania, was bombarded by tow destroyers on the night of November 2.” GERMAN CLAIM AIR ATTACK ON ALLIED TRANSPORTS HEAVY DAMAGE & LOSS OF LIFE ALLEGED LONDON, November 8. Berlin radio broadcast a report from Hitler’s headquarters that Luftwaffe bombers on the North African coast attacked 22 fully-laden troop transports escorted by eight destroyers. It claims that the bombers several times directly hit 13 transports and two destroyers. Several transports were observed in a burning and sinking condition. Many thousands of American and also British reserve troops went down with the transports, the broadcast added. PREPARED TO ABDICATE KING VICTOR EMMANUEL LONDON, November 7. Algiers radio says that, according to well-informed Italian circles, King Victor Emmanuel has accepted in principle the demand for his abdication. OPEN TO INVASION BALKAN ADRIATIC COAST. BRITISH CORRESPONDENT’S REPORT. LONDON, November 8. “We can invade the Balkan Adriatic coast at will whenever the proper time arrives,” declares a British United Press correspondent aboard a British destroyer which, for the past few nights, has been ranging hundreds of miles along the Adriatic coast without a shot being fired against her. The correspondent says: “When we went in to bombard Durazzo, Albania, some days ago, not a shot was fired from the Nazis’ much-vaunted defences.”