Imperial Valley press., 1943-09-09

creasing resistance, despite the un-
conditional surrender of Italian
forces, when they attempted to
fight off Clark's invasion barges
near Naples. The 8th army amphib-
ious force which landed behind the
enemy lines between Pizzo and Vibo
Valentia on the gulf of Eufemia
also met German opposition in un-
disclosed strength.
The 9th armr, however, took pris-
oners and liquidated all opposition
within the toe of Italy south OF the
road from Gioia Tauro to Lucri.
German reports claimed that the
British forces on the gulf of Eufe-
mia had been enveloped and that
their annihilation is imminent
Radio Berlin claimed that the Ger
mans had attacked Allied invaders
at several points near Naples and
were inflicting heavy losses in a
continuing battle. A Nazi news
agency report said the so-called
italian Fascist national government
had called upon the Italian armed
forces to reject the "treacherous"
procalmations calling for surrender
to the Allies and to keep their ships
in port until further orders.
MOVE TO GENOA
The Italian Stefani news agency
said that German armored divi-
sions were reported moving into the
Genoa area and that the British
fleet was reported to be off that
northern portD
Details of the Naples action were
meager except that Clark COM
manded a powerful force. GA BIC
broadcast from Algiers said the
Naples landings were "the great
est British-American offensive of
the war" and that the assault now
was in full SwingD Guns, tanks and
other supplies we're going ashore
rapidly.
1t was said that the Germans
were stiffening their opposition but
that it was believed the enemy
would plan to recall troops from
the south toward the northern part
of Italy, fighting a strong rear
guard action en- route 1t was sug-
rested that the Germans will make
their main stand in the north be-
cause of the danger of being cut
off at many points if they attempt
to defend large part of Italy.
CThe Scandinavian telegraph
agency reported from Berlin that
the Germans had disarmed "the
greater part of the italian army"
using force to overcome resistance
at some points. The agency said,
however, that bitter fighting be-
tween italians and Germans was
raging at several undisclosed
points,
Gn London informed military OBJ
servers estimated the Germans had
about 18 divisions of 100000 men,
including some panzer units, in
Italy, with the rest spread thinly
through the Peninsula. The Ger
mans probably had fewer than three
divisions or some 10000 men in the
area south of Naples but these are
now in danger of being cut off as
the Allies land along the coast and
smash italian rail lines to the
north.
NORTH OF LEGHORN
British sources suggested that
the first big German stand would
be made north of Leghorn)
In the south of Italy the 9th
Army forces under Gen. Sir Ber-
nard L. Montgomery pinched off
the Calabrian toe nail and seized
an area of about 900 square miles,
meeting comparatively light op-
position. 1t was believed, however,
that the fighting around Naples
would be much harder.
Operations are proceeding salts
factorily," Gen. Dwight D. Eisen-
hover, supreme Allied commander,
announced in a communique.
"a Swiss broadcast said the Allies
have occupied two airdromes in the
Naples area. A Berlin dispatch in
Stockholm newspaper reported
that an American invasion fleet of
200 ships disembarked troops at
Naples while another invasion force
sailed northward from North
Africa
radio Berlin said German forces
attacked the Allied invasion forces
at several points in the Naples area
and were inflicting heavy losses in
a battle that still was progressingJ
Covered by the big guns of the
United States and British navies,
the Allies pushed onto beaches be-
low Naples in assault boats, about
4 a. m. q p. m. Wednesday PVT
a little more than nine hours after
the Italian government under Mar
shall Pietro Badoglio surrendered
Internationally to the Allies.
PRISONERS TAKEN
Our forces are in contact with
German forces and prisoners have
been taken," the communique said
The Decentralization of troops with
their guns, vehicles, stores and
equipment is proceeding according
to plan"
The landing forces are under the
command of Lieut.. Gen. Marx
Clark, recently commander of the
U. S. Fifth Army, the communique
added, but it did not say whether
the American troops engaged were
the Fifth Army, Seventh Army or
some new unit.
All ground forces in Italy, in
Guiding both the new landing de-
tachments and the British Eighth
army fighting its way up the toe of
the Italian boot, were said to be
under the command of Gen. Sir
Harold r. l.. G.. Alexander, chief
of ground forces in the Mediter-
ranean under the supreme COM