Evening star., 1943-10-12
Britain Granted Use Of Azores
By Portugal in War on U-Boats;
Allied Bombers Hammer at Corfu
5th Army Gains
Are Checked by
Bad Weather
BY the Associated Press

BY the Associated Press
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS,
Algiers, Oct. IL. - Northwest
African Air Force bombers, pur-
suing their attacks on the Ger
mans in the Balkans and the
Eastern Mediterranean for the
seventh consecutive day, struck
a smashing blow yesterday at
! the Nazi airfield on Corfu, stra-
tegic Greek island dominating
the entrance to the AdriatiC,
Allied headquarters announced
today.
On the rain-bogged Italian bat
tie front only artillery and patrol
actions were reported as American
5th Army troops along the swollen
Vulturno River front prepared for
an assault on powerful German po-
sitionS.
American Mitchells sweeping from
Italian bases and escorted by Light
nings struck at Corfu, bombing the
Garitza airfeld, and the Lightnings
scored two direct hits on a merchant
vessel in Corfu Harbor.
New raids on Calato airfield in
Rhodes and Herakleion airdrome in
Crete also were announced These
missions were undertaken by Amer
ican Liberators, which poured bombs
among parked aircraft and build
ippS near tho airfl nlSS
Cos Landing Ground Attacked.
Bomb carrying Lightnings made
their first raid on the AntimaChla
landing ground on the island of Cos
in the DodecaneSe. This airfeld
has twice changed hands in fighting
there.
Heavy rains still impeded the Al
lied troops along the Volturno and
across the mountains to TermoI on
the Adriatic
Artillery duels were fought along
both the 5th and 9Th Army fronts,
and 9th Army patrols were agrees
slve, a dispatch from Gen. Sir Ber-
nard L. Montgomery headquarters
said.
These advance units encountered
German tanks in one foray west of
Termoli.
Enemy opposition was increasingly
stiff, but the 9th Army forces gained
ground in some places, it was an
nounced. British artillery shelled
enemy positions heavily southwest
of Colletorto, hitting some vehicles
on the roads.
Consolidating Positions.
The Volturno River has over
flowed its banks in some places,
covering the nearby fields with
water and making fighting there
virtually impossible. The 5th Army
continued to consolidate its posi-
tions for an eventual big drive to
crack the Volturno line.
The 5th Army and the Germans
face each other across the narrow
twisting river, awaiting the signal
which will touch off one of the big
gest battles of the war. front-line
dispatch from Associated Press
"~Ondent Relman NORM said
American artillery blasted con-
tinually at Nazi positions on the
north bank of the river, Mr.. NORM
said, adding:
The site of the coming battle is
cup-shaped valley almost COM
pletely ringed with hills. We hold
the southern and southeastern
slopes The Germans are en-
trenched solidly in the north. They
probably are relying on defense in
depth, having sunk their tanks for
use as artillery and covered large
! areas with barbed wire and concrete
pillboXes"
German machine gun nests are
, strung along the river bank.
"a Berlin broadcast by the
German International Informa-
tlon Bureau said today that Nazi
forces along the Galore River line
had been forced to retreat to new
positions in the mountains near
Cerreto. Cerreto is miles west
OF Pontelandolfo. whose capture
was announced by Allied head
quarters in Algiers Yesterday
Gun Positions Bombed.
Allied fighter -bombers slashed YES
terday at enemy gun positions, motor
transports and trains, and fighters,
unopposed by German planes,
patrolled the battle area.
German motor truck convoys north
OF Rome and Frosinone, IS miles
northwest of Naples. were attacked
Sunday night, and bombers hit Cas-
sino, As miles northwest of Naples,
and Mondragone, Is miles below
Casino.
A Middle East communique said
Raj headquarters in Italy an
nounced that bombers had hit the
airleld at Rhodes Sunday night,
laying bombs in the aircraft dis
persal areas and on the runway, and
starting fires.
No Allied planes were lost in any
| of these operations.
Two separate flights of Allied
(see ITALY, Page A-2)