The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1943-09-17

of Naples, Rome and all Italy.
8 (The Algiers radio said to-
night that some detachments
of the advancing British
Eighth Army were only 1917
miles from the Fifth Army
bridgehead. The broadcast,
recorded by the U. S. Foreign
Broadcast Intelligence Serv-
ice, said the Eighth Army
had captured Sapri, on the
west coast IS miles south of
Salerno.)
The Fifth Army-mighties+
single Allied force in action
in the Mediterranean in this
war - surged suddenly and
violently at dawn today from
its foxholes at the southern
end of the Salerno front.
Swapping the German ring at
a junction of the Sele and
Galore rivers just north of
Altavilla.
Heavy Aerial Support
The equally divided American
and British force (probably up to
10000 mem struck with the SUD-
port of thousands Of planes, the
British battleships Valiant and
Warspite which hurled IS inch
shells into the foe, and sleek de.
stroyers which added their fire.
power to the advance.
For the last four days, the tired
Americans and Britons had been
fighting the most furious defen-
slve battle seen IN the Mediter-
ranean in this war. As dawn roll
ed up, the Fifth Army with it's
strong reinforcements assaulted
the German defenses in the wood
ed hills overlooking the critical
coastal plain position They re-
gained ground lost to scores of
German counterattacks, then push
ed inland, putting to flight the
tanatical soldiers Of Marshal Al
bert Kesselring who had vainly
tried to push the Allies into the
sea.
The bridgehead along the sele
is now roughly extended eigh t
more miles inland. (This dispatch
did not state how near the surf
the invasion forces had been press
ed when the push back was start
ed. A British radio correspondent
was quoted by BIC in a broad
cast recorded by. CHS that: 1.-THE
new offensive has put our leading
forces about eight miles inland.
or four miles short of the farthest
point we reached in the earlier
fighting.")
The tall and lanky Clark had
been in the thick of the battle
since its inception. As his men
drove forward through the smoke
and dust of battle, he issued this
order of the day:
Gas your army commander, I
want to congratulate every Off
Ger and enlisted man in the Fifth
Army on their mission Of landing
on the west coast of Italy. All
the more splendid is your achieve
ment when it is realized that it
was accomplished against deter
mined German resistance at the
beaches. Every step Of our adj
vance has been contested.
"We have arrived at our initial
objective - our beachhead is &C.
cure.
Additional troops are landing
every day and we are here to
stay. Not one foot of ground will
be given up.
Gen. Montgomery's BATTLEFRONT
en- Eighth British Arrny-our part
ner in the task of clearing the
German forces out Of Italy-is adj
vancing rapidly from the south,
and in matter of hours its pres
ence will be felt by the enemy.
Side by side with the Eighth Army,
the Fifth Army will advance to
occupy Naples, Rome and other
cities to the north and to free
Italy from German domination.
II am highly gratified by the
efficient manner in which the Brit
ish and American troops have
worked side by side Their per.
Torrance has justified the conf.
dence placed in them by the peo
pie Of the United Nations. Thew
(COntinued nm pa GA rIAv>u. "a 81