“COLOSSAL CRACK”

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 November 1943, Page 3

“COLOSSAL CRACK”

PROMISED TO GERMANS BY MONTGOMERY ENEMY OUTFOUGHT BY BETTER MEN. TIME COME TO DRIVE THEM NORTH. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, November 28, General Montgomery has made a call to the men of the Eighth Army to drive the Germans north of Rome. His message stated: “The Germans stilt hold the road to Rome and the ■city itself. The time has now come to drive them to the north. The enemy has been outfought by better men. They are troubled and do not like what they are getting. We will now hit them a colossal crack.” All signs indicate that the German evacuation of Castel di Sangro is imminent, says the Algiers radio. The Eighth Army is menacing this central front bulwark from heights dominating the town and can see flames and hear the thuds of explosions from German demolitions. The Eighth Army has repulsed all the enemy’s fierce counter-attacks against its firmly established Sangro bridgeheads. The Fifth Army is keeping up a brisk shelling of enemy positions.

The Vichy radio is again asserting that new massive Allied operations in Italy are imminent, and says the Americans have concentrated a consider■able number of paratroops waiting for zero hour.

The Vichy radio supported its comment by reporting the arrival at Gibraltar of two cruisers, 12 destroyers, six corvettes and 20 cargo) ships.

ALLIED OFFICERS

LANDED IN NORTHERN / ITALY. TO ORGANISE IRREGULARS. LONDON, November 28. Considerable numbers of Allied and also Italian officers are believed to have been landed by parachute in north Italy to organise irregulars, says the “Daily Telegraph’s” Zurich correspondent. These officers have established . regional headquarters linked by radio with the south of Italy, where General Messe, Marshal Badoglio’s new Chief of Staff, is directing Italian operations in the German occupied zone. Large Italian forces in the Balkans have joined the partisans operating there. The Berlin radio stated that British planes are flying over the mountains of Greece dropping arms to guerillas, who live in the mountains.

ATTACKS ON TRANSPORT

AIR AND NAVAL OPERATIONS. / (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.40 a.m.) RUGBY, November 28. An air communique states: On Saturday the railway yards and bridges were attacked by heavy bombers of the North-West African Air Force, escorted by long-range fighters. The Grizano railway yards and a bridge over the Reno River were also attacked by heavy bombers. Porto Civvita Nauva was bombed by medium bombers and a small ship was sunk at Sinehik. Strong forces of medium and light bombers, fighter-bombers and fighters attacked railway trucks and motor transport and enemy positions north of the battlefront. During this and other operations enemy aircraft were destroyed. Five of ours are msising. It is now know that, during the operations on November 24, one enemy aircraft, in addition to those already reported, was destroyed.” A Navy communique says: “It has just been learned that during daylight on Tuesday the last enemy positions north of the Garigliano River, in the Gulf' of Gaeta, were successfully bombarded by British destroyers. The return fire was ineffective.” '