The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-09-03
Drive On Vital Roads
 To Railway Junction
(Continued from Page D

(Radio Rome failed to mention the landing in its 9 8. m. EWT news broadcaSt)
 (The Ofiice of War Information said a Berlin broadcast beamed to the Far East at 2:3l a. m. EWT re- ported the landing but confined its statement to the fact 1t was an- nounced by Allied headquarters in North Africa. It was the first Axis admission the attack had been made, OWI said.)
 Allied land artillery mounted on the northeastern shore of Sicily and presumably the big guns of the Allied navies paved the way for the landings with @ terrific lombard ment of the Italian shore across the Strait beginning shortly before dusk last night.
 Artillery Knocked Out
 The rain of high explosive and armor-piercing shells knocked out one Axis artillery battery after an- other.
 Overhead ranged clouds of Allied fighters and bombers that shuttled back and forth across southern Italy, blasting and strafing enemy troop and transport concentrations,
 Then, some two hours before dawn the first wave of assault boats moved out from MesSina and the adjacent shoreline under the um- brella of planes and shells. Tensed inside the blunt-bowed craft were thousands of British and Canadian shock troops, some of whom had waited more than three years for a chance to meet the enemy again on the continent of Europe.
 As the boats grounded on the beaches opposite Messina, troops swarmed out with bayonets set. Suc- cessive waves of landing craft brought artillery and tanks.
 Thus began the Battle of Italy only 18 days after the Allies had completed the conquest of Sicily in a record 38-day campaign.
 Bitterest Fighting Ahead
 Some of the bitterest fighting of the war lay ahead. The mountain ouS terrain, ideal for defense, en- ables the German and Italian armies to rake the beaches below with mur- derous mortar and artillery fire.
 Aerial reconnaissance indicated that the Axis command had moved the bulk of its forces north of Na- ples to prevent their entrapment by an Allied thrust across the Italian waist, but it was obvious that size- able and well-prepared rear guards had been left behind to make the best fight possible.
 Besides Reggie Calabria and Sell la, other towns on the Italian tip opposite Sicily include San Giovan- nj, Villa and Pellaro. while else where on the Calabrian Peninsula coast are the large towns of Crotone, Catanzaro and Cosenza. Reggie Ca- labria and San Giovanni were Ter mini for a ferry line from Messina.
 The Allied offensive to soften up the Italian mainland for invasion began in the final days of the sicil- ian campaign and reached a climax Tuesday. when the l6-ineh guns of the British battleshlps Rodney and Nelson along with the lesser arma. ment of an eseorting cruiser and nine destroyeFs sent i,600 tons of shells crashing Into the coastal de- fense batteries along the eastern shore Of Messlna Strait.
 Commando Units
 An Allied spokesman dlssl0sed that even ground forces participated in the softening-up offenslge. coms mando units were revealed to have made several reconnaissance iand- ings, during which they knocked out c number Of enemy gun batteries.
 one such commando landing vas reported by the German Faaio to have occurred last Sunday sonihwsst of Roegio calabFia. The hroadeast claimed that ail bnt a of the lands lIle party of co troops WeFe eap- tnIed og killed. The survivors Were sa.a 70 have escaped Into the mosn-
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