Evening star., 1943-07-19
British Forces
Only 3 Miles
From Cutuniu

~>.~AA
tured Caltanissetta. almost half
way across the midsectioh Of
Sicily, in an Smile smash to
split the enemy's front, battle re-
ports to Allied headquarters said
today as Allied forces gained all
along the front.
British forces, meanwhile, were
reported to have advanced to WITH
in three miles of Catania.
Caltanissetta, an important COM
munications center IL miles to the
northwest. was taken in central
thrust that drove to point % miles
inland throwing back a German
counterattack in wild disorder near
Barrafranca.
Edging up toward the Italian toe.
the invasion forces of Gen. Sir Ber-
nard l.. Montgomery 9th Army
burroWed relentlesslv into local de-
fenses protecting Catania on the
closer to that keystone of the en-
emy's position in all central and
northeastern Sicily.
Defense Position Taken.
The 9Th Army lunged against the
outskirts of Catania after capturing
one of the most important defense
positions before the port.
Gen. Montgomery men wrested
some Of the most important strong
points of Catania's defenseS from
picked shock divisions of the Ger
man Army in their advance on the
city.
While these veterans were fighting
the hardest battle of the Sicilian
campaign against the hard core of
AXIS resistance, Canadian units.
iabbing dangerously at the enemy's
western flank where it is stretched
in front of the roadless area Of
Mount Etna. were said in Gen.
Dwight D. Eisenhower commu-
nique to be gaining important
ground with skill and determina-
ton in difficult country"
The battle-hungvv soldiers cap
tured Piazza Armerina. Is miles di-
rectly east of Caltanissetta.
In this 10th day of the Allied in
vasion the combined forces had
taken from the Axis approximately
one-third of all Sicily, the official
war bulletin stated
Gap Is Widened.
Following the capture of Agrigento
and Porto Empedocle on the south
coast, American troops of It. Gen.
George S. Patton. jr., were driving
northWard, widening the gap be-
tween enemy forces in Western and
Eastern Sicily.
Sources here considered it prob
able the bulk of the German troops
in Sicily were engaged in the still
developing battle These forces, once
officially estimated at $4,000, are
we'll equipped with giant Tiger tanks
and smaller Mark Tvs.
American troops on the western
half of the line battled forward in
two main spearheads-one from
captured Agrlgento and Porto EN-
pedocle on the extreme western
hank and another in the center
from Caltanissetta
Both Armies Turn North.
The Canadians and Americans
gained contact after their captures
OF Caltanissetta and Piazza Armer-
ina and both armies then turned
north in rapid advance on Emma
which has been called the navel of
Sicily"
Geographically it is almost the
dead center of the island and it is
the focal point of virtually every
main highway cutting through that
area.
The general line of the advance of
the whole front was now approx
mately even, from the left flank
where the Americans were attack
ing, through the center, where the
Canadians were in action, to the
right flank where the British were
battling.
The line was an average distance
of about so miles from the coast.
And some Canadian units had ad-
vanced 20 miles in single day.
Prisoners Now Total $4,000.
Meanwhile, Axis prisoners cap
tured in Sicily mounted to $4,000, or
more than a tenth of the entire
German and italian force with
which 1t is estimated Gen. Alfredo
Guzzoni started his defense of the
island. Of these $4,000 were in
American hands, and observers said
the Italians were surrendering not
as isolated groups, but as organized
army units. In one case an italian
company shot its German COM
mander and gave up.
The mcSt important moves were
taking place on the eastern stretch
OF coast. however, where Gen. Mont
gomery's troops had battered back
strong German units in the con-
f1uence of three large rivers across
the Catania Plain. thrown strong
bridgeheads over the southernmcst
OF these and gained control of the
estuary 3 miles south of their stra-
tegic objective.
Resistance south of Catania still
was very strong. with German troops
placed on each side of the Italians
it was stated. but the British were
gradually widening their bridge
head across the river.
Thousands Captured.
Agrigento capitulated Friday night
under heavy pounding by American
l55-millimeter guns. Thousands OF
prisoners were captured-one report
said 1000. A short time later Amer
ican Rangers took over Porto En-
pedocle to the south.
Observers here regarded Catania
as one of the main pins holding to-
gether the defense framework, for
there probably is no place between
Catania and Messina, S. miles to
(see SICILY, Page A-I4)