Evening star., 1943-11-02
New 5th Army Advance |mperi|s
Massico Ridge Nazi Line Anchor;
Reds Land in Crimea> Berlin Saws
Allies Occupy
Large Parts Of
z Enemy Peaks
By the Associated Press.

ALLIED HEADQUARTERS
Algiers, Nov. 2.-Allied 5th Army
troops, battling against fierce
enemy opposition, have pushed
forward to occupy large parts OF
Massico Ridge and Maltese Noun
tain, two lofty anchors of the
German line in Italy, headquar-
ters announced today.
Gains placed the Allies within ar
tlllery range of Venafro, key COM
munications town near the center
of the MasSico-Vasto line running
across Italy.
Along the Mediterranean coastal
area, British elements of 1t. Gen
Mark w. Clark's army advanced 4
miles, seizing the town of Casanova
high on the slope of Massico Ridge
American troops farther inland
won good part of Maltese. which
dominates the Upper Volturno VAL
ley.
British Gain Some Ground.
The British 9th Army on the Adri-
attic side maintained steady pressure
against the Germans, and gained
some ground at the southern end of
Its front.
One Allied officer described these
developments as very encouraging,
but said the Nazis still we're fighting
f1ercely to hold their mountain line
from Massico Ridge to Vasto, They
are not retreating, he said, but are
being muscled out Of strategic points
in bitter clases and at considerable
cost to the Allied armies.
The MasSico and Maltese anchors OF
the Germans might be described as
severely shaken this officer added
FortresSes Blast La Spezia.
On the aerial front, Allied war
planes famed out in broad arc
of attack yesterday, with American
Flying Fortresses blasting the naval
base Of La Spezia on Italy's west
coast about so miles below Genoa
Medium bombers pounded rail and
shipping targets at Rimini and An
coma on the Adriatic side. Fighters
supported Yugoslav patriots by hit
ting at enemy planes over Split in
Yugoslavia
In the push to Casanova, British
troops who had previously captured
Nocelleto drove forward across the
rugged slopes, wiping out enemy
pockets under heavy shellfire from
German artillery behind Massico
Ridge.
They took the villages of Santa
Croce and Carinola, and finally
Wrested Casanova from the enemy
The town, perched at 1,000-foot alti-
tude, is of utmost strategic mort
ance in efforts to win the whole of
MaSsico Ridge. This ridge dominates
the Lower Volturno Valley from its
southern slope, and the Garigliano
River Valley from the northern slope
In Position to Take Whole Ridge.
The Allied commentator said
CaSanovas capture put the 5th
Army on the read to capture of the
whole ridge If driven off Massico,
the. Germans probably would have
to retire to the Gari2liano River
banks. and then to the Aurunci
Mountains north of that river.
The ridge of Mount Maltese, which
runs in a northWesterly direction
from Castillo dAlife is about 40
airline miles inland from the coast.
American forces who pushed up its
side from the Cantalupo area gained
positions dominating an additional
section of the upper Volturno Valley,
and brought Venafro within range
of big guns.
Between MaSSico and Maltese
otner British elements of the 5th
Army who had taken Teano spread
out north and northwest. taking
important heights.
Rugged and Muddy Terrain.
The 8th Army's advances also
were made in hard fighting over
equally rugged and rain soaked ter
rain. So rough is the country that
both armies are using horses and
mules extensively to bring up
supplies, and soldiers lug ammuni-
tlon and other material over rocky
cragS and steep ascents.
Official reports gave no details of
the Flying Fortress attack on La
Spezia. The heavy bombers also hit
a bridge to the northeast.
RAF Wellingtons followed up last
night with heavy raid on freight
yards at Via Reggie north of Pisa,
cutting the rail lines in several
places.
American BIS Mitchells with
Lightning escorts laid bombs or
rolling stock, warehouses and shops
at Rimini between Ancona and Ra
VIENNA. 1t is the junction for q
double track connection with Bo-
logna, Other Mitchells bombed the
freight yards at Ancona. and in the
harbor area hit 50O-foot merchant
ship. touched off large explosions ir