The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1943-09-30
Fifth Army
Racing Toward Goal
Continued From Page One)

NCOAtlnueu FROM Page One)
di Savoia and occupied the fish
ing port of Zapponeto on the Gulf
OF Manfredonia, due east of Fog
gia.
The final, decisive drive against
the German mountain defenses
south of Naples opened at dawn
yesterday in a heavy rainstorm
after almost week of violent
fighting, much of it hand-tc-hand.
By noon Tuesday, Clark men had
captured Nocera, road center on
the edge of the Naples plains 10
miles southeast of Naples and six
miles below Vesuvius.
Castellammare, a city of $4,000
with naval facilities capable of han
ding 33-foot ships, fell quickly
The Allies were holly pursuing the
enemy at nightfall. Official reports
did not specify how far beyond
Nocera the advance had extended.
The military spokesman declined
tonight to predict when Naples &C.
tually would fall. His caution was
inspired by his recollection that
Allied troops once were within II
miles of Tunis five months before
that city finally surrendered. A
similar delay of weeks occurred
south of Catania in Italy.
Nevertheless. news of the Fifth
Arrny's entry into Naples was ex-
pected here at any moment.
The breakthrough was at the ex-
IRENE western end of the front,
north and northwest of Salerno.
The bitterest fighting was at
Sala which already had changed
hands many times in the t
week of furiousbattle This time,
the British and American troops
of Clark's command seized it firm
ly and swept triumphantly on to-
ward Naples-a city of horror
where refugees said the N is
were machine-gunning women and
children and forcing soldiers and
civilians alike into slave labor bat
talions, killing those who refused.
The acrid smoke of wanton de-
struction filled the noses of the
advancing Fifth Army tt p S.
Great clouds of smoke enveloped
Naples and made the smoke pour
lrg from Vesuvius puny by COM
garrison. The rumble of demoli-
tions was plainly audible from the
isle of Capri. The great port of
Naples, second only to Genoa in
Italy rapidly was becoming a
shambles. Explosions ripped the
waterfront day and night and ships
still were being sunk to block har-
Dor entrances.
The stories out of Naples con-
firm that the enemy is not in
tending to hold the city, and the
way he is making shambles of it
indicates he doesn't ever intend to
return" the military spokesman
said. Reports from the front in
dictate the enemy's withdrawal is
orderly and there is no suggestion
of our taking large numbers OF
prisoners. :"
The Germans appeared to re-
alize well in advance that they
must yield ultimately, and accord
ingly Marshall Albert Kesselring
had his plans for swift retreat.
Clark quickly capitalized on the
break at Sala and on German Ell
forts to extricate their troops. Al
| lied armo., which has been virtu-
ally useless in the rugged noun
tain fighting, moved forward onto
the Naples plains below to exploit
the situation. A tank thrust took
Nocera and armored and o
troops swiftly pushed the Allied
line to the Bay of Naples and
drove steadily in pursuit of the
fleeing foe.
The only effective defense posi-
tons which the Germans could
possibly mploy between the
charging Allies and Naples appear
ed to be the slopes of Vesuvius.
Even these positions appeared un-
tenable because the Allies were in
position to drive onward on both
sides of the mountain, the world S
most famous active volcano.
There was nothing to indicate
that the enemy intended to risk a
major stand anywhere near We
suvius. Instead there was every
sign that Kesselring had completed
all preparations to abandon the
wrecked city, where for days his
troops had been Systematically de-
stroying every installation OF pos
sible value to the Allies.
U. S. troops on the Fifth Army
right flank advanced SIX mlles
north against the crumbling Ger
man lines and last were reported
within seven miles of Avelllno, the
of