Evening star., 1943-10-08
9th Army Repe|s
Nuzi Blows and
Takes Offensive
MAP on Page Az
Ey the Associated Press.

Ey the Associated Press.
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS
Algiers, Oct. 8.-Advancing 1C
miles in heavy rain and mud, the
American 5th Army of 1t. Gen
Mark w. Clark has captured the
towns of Capua and Castel Vol
turnO and established a front of
16 miles along the southern bank
of the swollen Volturno River,
Allied headquarters announced
today.
Capua, the main town on the
Mazzoni plain on which the first
phase of Gen Clark's battle for
Rome is being waged, is II miles
north of Naples and lO6 straight
line miles southeast Of Rome. 1t
was taken in the advance along the
Via Casalina. one of the two main
roads from Naples to Rome. The
other is the Appian Way, nearer
the coast
Castel Volturno, at the mouth of
the Volturno River is 81 airline
miles from the Italian capital.
8th Army Takes Offensive.
On the right Of the Allied line
across Italy, where the British 9th
Army was fighting another battle
on the approaches to the side door
to Rome, Gen. Sir Bernard L. Mont
gomery's forces beat back more
fierce German counterattacks. took
the offensive and occupied an i'm
portant high area above Termoli
along the Adriatic.
Six German divisions were now
fighting along the Italian front in
fierce action.
The Germans threw tanks. in
cluding 60-ton Tigers. and infantry
into their stabs at Gen. Montgom-
ery's flanking force which held an
area approximately 1870 miles east
and slightly north of Rome and
threatened Pescara, the coastal
terminus of a broad highway across
the ApennlneS to the capital city on
the banks of the Tiber
Disclosing that Canadians are
in action with the 9th Army in
this sector, front-line dispatch
to the Canadian press said the
Dominion soldiers had mounted
solid positions dominating a stra-
tegic valley in the face of steady
fire from German artillery and
mortar batteries. The fire was
the heaviest the Canadians had
encountered since starting their
northWard push on October l.)
Maintain Steady Pressure.
In the mountainous backbone in
the center Of the peninsula, Allied
forces maintained steady pressure
against the Germans and continued
to force them back.
Allied bCmbers maintained their
sweeps ever the battlelines despite
bad weather which somewhat cur
tailed activities, but found relatively
few targets compared with the pre-
ceding day when a heavy toll was
taken Of a German armored divi-
sion being rushed through the
mountains to oppose Gen. Mont
gOmery.
Nevertheless, II vehicles were de-
stroved along with one of the Ger
mans big Mark VI tanks.
American Lightnings made their
first sweep into Greece three DAYS
ago, 1t was announced, on the same
day that American Liberators of the
Northwest African Air Forces car
rled out another bombing attack on
the Elevsis alrfield near Athens.
The Llghtnings attacked the land
ing ground at AraXos in the North
western Pel0ponnesus and shot up
20 parked planes. The Liberators
battered hangers, runWayS and dis
persal areas, and shot down 6 of
a pack of 80 to 35 enemy fighters
Which tried TO interfere.
Towns South of River Taken.
In advancing to the Volturno,
Gen. Clarks 5th Army occupied all
the towns south of the river, in
Guiding Villa Literno. Marcianise.
Casal di Principe and Trentola
The Germans in withdrawing over
the river left many determined nests
of resistance behind them. but these
were wiped out in the relentless
(See ITALY, Page A-2J