Evening star., 1943-08-05
British Take Catania,
Press On Up Coast 10
lmperiI Axis Flank
Continued From First PaRel

to paralyze if not cut the Germans
east coast supply-and retreat
route.
Three Mile Wide Escape Path.
The enemy's line of retreat from
Catania is a Smile wide corri-
dor between the mountains and the
sea and in that harsh, rugged strip
there are number of points where
a stand might be attempted
Catania'S capture in effect turned
the German flank on the east coast
and the British surged ahead on the
slopes Of Mount Etna facing the sea
The enemy frantically planted
mines and blew up bridges in at
tempting to stem the memorable
Allied advance
To wipe out the Germans grip on
Catania, the British first had to
break enemy control of Etnas
heights northwest of this second
most important port in Sicily.
Gen. Sir Bernard L. Montgomery's
Canadian and British left hook"
hurled across the Dittaino River
and, smashing through Regalbuto
Centuripe and other points this
week, paved the way for the Catania
triumph.
The epic siege of Catania began
July Is when quick British onrush
up the east coast reached the Prim-
sola bridge seven miles south of the
city. A daredevil assault the pre-
ceeding night by British parachute
troops had prevented the enemy
from demolishing this vital span.
The Germans rushed at least six
parachute troop battalions to the
sector for use as first-line infantry
and diverted a considerable portion
Of their armor and artillery to hold
of Gen. Montgomery. But cam
nily and skillfully, Gen. Montgomery
explored the Catania Plains for
weaker points for Is days while the
general Allied offensive was pre-
pared.
Catania represented the hardest
and bloooiest victory of the entire
campaign.
But official reports said Gen.
Montgomery's triumph was made at
relatively slight cost of his SOL
diers' lives.
Great Economy of Force.
An official statement said:
The enemy was forced out of
this vital point by a combination
of superior numbers, the element
of surprise and the pressure applied
correctly and suddenly at the vital
point. Thus important strategic re-
suits were obtained with great econ
omy of force avoiding greater cas-
ualties on our side.
Even If the enemy had foreseen
this thrust pressure elsewhere would
have forbidden withdrawing addi-
tional supporting troops to the
threatened sector.
The German Withdrawal was def
initely not according to any plan.
The Allies have hurried any attempt
at withdrawal and by heavy bombing
and ground straflng have demoral-
lied Italian troops and disrupted
supply lines"
Front dispatches said American
troops were making steady progress
in the north.
An official report said relations be-
tween German and Italian troops
were worsenlng. One Italian cap
tured in Catania said he had been
a sapper but was forced into the in
fantry for the final defense of the
city. during which II killed more
Germans than I killed Englishmen."
Precision bombing smashed mill
tary targets inside Catania, but left
the city itself virtually unscathed,
an Raj pilot reported today.
Vessel Found Blasted.
He said 350-foot merchant YES
sci was found blasted up against the
west side of the Vecchio mole and
italian tank-landing craft and a
Siebel ferry sunk across the center
Of the port.
All hangers were damaged at the
sirdrome and one administration
building had received direct hit
from a heavy bomb. Some attempt
at repairs had been started, then
nullifled when bombs blew holes in
repaired sections.
Some of the new port facilities
which will be valuable for Allied
shipping were almost untouched by
high explosives.
The daily communique from Gen.
EisenhoWers headquarters, in telling
OF Allied advances, said:
The enemy is trying to slow down
our advance, leaving behind mines
and destroying all installations"
"a Berlin broadcast recorded
by the Associated Press said,
Evacuation of Catania by Ger
man troops is authoritatively Con-
firmed, the enemy having been
misled by successful maneuver."
(The broadcast said only that
"a thin line of German troops"
had been on the spot before Ca
tania," and their task was to de-
ceive the Allies as to their
strength. The British, the radio
added. recognized too late that
the German main fighting line is
running behind Catsnia" and
"here the enemy will have once
again to crack a hard nut"
Neither the German nor Ital-
ian commurique, however. men
toned loss of Catania.)
Army commanders officially credit
ed the shelling by American war
ships with contributing to the fast
advance of the 7th Army troops
along the north coast.
American motor torpedo boats
swung in daring, close attacks
to inf1ict further damage on Axis
supply lines reaching across the
Tyrrhenian Sea to Northeastern
Sicily.
In the shelling at Taormina. Brit
ish gunners planted shells on tracks.
switches and other targets with
mathematical precision despite the
risk of retaliatory fire from shore
batteries. The Axis is dependent
on traffic through the resort town
for supplying virtually two-thirds of
the bridgehead it still holds.
Enemy aircraft struck repeatedly