Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-07-30
Italy
Continued From First Page

GERMAN QeIenSeS below CaCanl6, the
communique said.
"A British broadcast recorded
by CHS in New York said Amer
lean troops already were bat
tering the main enemy defenses
on the outskirts of San Stefano,"
northern coastal anchor of the
Mount Etna defenses.
The Italians declared that
their motor torpedo boats lin
waters east of the island repulsed
threats carried out by enemy E.
boats against Italian conveys"
but did not indicate whether the
conveys were rushing reinforce
ments to Socily or pulling troops
out of the island.) $500
Still stymied by wide minefelds
and dominant enemy gun positions
on the lower slopes of Mount Etna.
the 9th Army fought a number of
small engagements with forces of
the Goering Division and elite Nazi
parachute troop battalions. These
we're successful, the communicate
said.
The bulletins terseness could not
hide the fact that the climactic
struggle OF the campaign was in
progress. with the Americans CAPT.
tallzing their strategic positions on
the weakest sector of the German
line.
Americans Scale Ridges.
The veteran American fighters
scaled three 1.000-foot ridges in
tropical heat and outfanked Ger
man batteries by circuitous noun
tain routes. exerting relentless pres
sure on the hastily entrenched
enemy.
Gen. Pattons orders to keep
striking" were carried out to the
limit by welding infantry
and skilled crews of mechanical
field guns as they sureed forward
across terrain that in other circum-
stances might have been an i'm
preenable defensive line
The Canadians dash and spirit
were undiminished by more than a
week OF The hardest kind Of in
fighting with desperate German
armored troops.
Allied torpedo aircraft sank 4
merchant ship and left two naval
vessels afire as they intercepted Axis
attempts to reinforce their hard
pressed forces.
One enemy plane was destroyed
and four Allied planes failed to re-
turn from the wide sweeps.
Fortresses Meet No Fighters.
FLYING Fortresses rained explosives
on the Viterbo airbase and Amer
lean mediums struck at the Aquino
field near Naples.
earlier against Capodichino. near
Naples. and Montecorvino Allied
crews reported rolling blankets Of
smoke covered all these targets.
Airdrome facilities of Viterbo. so
miles northeast of Rome, were shat
tered by precision bombing of the
Fortresses. which encountered no
enemy fighters and only a small bar
rage from ground batteries, officers
said.
The Americans success yesterday
in taking Nicosia at the base of the
Axis triangle, and the victory OF their
Canadian allies at Agra, about II
miles to the southeast. were termed
the most important strateeical de-
velopments of the last week.
The twin breAk-through placed
the Americans within so miles of
Taormina, on the east coast about
% miles north of Catania. where the
British 9th Army has been fought to
a virtual standstill by powerful Ger
man armored forces.
The Canadians advance through
Agra placed them within 40 miles
of Catania and threatened that port
from the west
Thus German defenders Of that
important city must fall back up the
coast or be trapped on the north by
the Americans, on the west by the
Canadians and to the south by the
British.
Gen. Patton's weary but battle
wise Americans outsmarted and out
thanked crack German troops re-
Gently reinforced with fresh reserves
in their 12-mile overnight push to
capture Nicosa.
In taking Agra the Canadians at
tackled frontally and cracked the
18th German Armored Division after
bitter fighting eliminating in bay