FIERCE FIGHTING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 December 1943, Page 4

FIERCE FIGHTING

AS GERMANS RETREAT IN ITALY EIGHTH ARMY PRESSING ON TO PESCARA. LIMITED OFFENSIVE OPENED BY FIFTH ARMY. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 11.55 a.m.) LONDON, December 2. “Our troops on the Eighth Army front have broken through the enemy positions and the enemy is in full retreat and is rushing up reinforcements from Northern Italy,” says a special communique from Allied Headquarters. “The /Eighth Army, in fierce hand to hand, yard by yard fighting is dislodging the enemy on a 25 mile front, pressing him back to Pescara and mopping up enemy resistance centres. The Fifth Army has consolidated its position east of the Rome Road,” concludes the communique. Reuter’s Algiers correspondent reports that the Eighth Army is on the .outskirts of Castel Frentano, about eight miles- inland and four miles .north of the Sangro River. The Germans here are resisting bitterly. The British break through to Castel Frentano and Rocca San Giovanni (two miles inland and four miles north of the Sangro) represents a general advance of about three miles. The Eighth Army is also on the outskirts of Casoli, 14 miles inland. Reuters correspondent with the Fifth Army say Fifth Army troops advanced slightly in a key sector after a strong artillery barrage had been laid down. The advance, which is going well, has only limited objectives. The Allied air forces are giving full support.