The Wilmington morning star., 1943-09-14
Terrific Land Engagement
Raging In Salerno Sector
Continued from Page One)

bridgehead," the communique
said. A headquarters dispatch
said the Italian military and ci-
william population both were coop
Grating heartily with the invasion
forces striking up from the con-
quered heel.
The British radio said Altamu-
ra, % miles west of Bari and A
miles inland from laramie, had
been captured. There was no con-
firmation of an Algiers radio re-
port that Bari had been entered)
While the bulk of Allied air fore
es were in tactical support of the
armies around Salerno and in the
south, Liberators from the Middle
East command and the Raj start
ed softening up the Dodecanese
islands of Italy which lie in the
eastern Aegean sea just off the
Turkish coast. Rhodes, the lar
gest island and kingpin of the
archipelago, was the main target.
Beaufighters attacked the MART
"a airdrome Sunday and Well
ington bombers hit the Clato air.
drome that night. The American
All Allied planes returned safely,
encountering neither ground nor
air opposition.
turkish reports told of severe
fighting between Italian and Ger
man garrisons in the Dodecanese
islands and said some hard-press-
ed Italian units were yearning for
Allied landings.)
The Germans. possibly drawing
on their home reserves, threw 80
to 100 fighters against the Allies
in the Salerno area. but their eff
forts against the beaches and ship
ping were described as weak. The
Allies shot down 10 planes and
lost two.
American and Allied pilots were
preoccupied with roads leading to
the Salerno bridgehead, intent up
on blocking passage of German
units streaming toward the cruel
BILE of battle. Highways and enemy
transports were attacked at Cor
leto, Auletta, Sapri and Castelnuo-
vo. Heavy bombers again pound
ed the German airfield at Frost
none, southeast of Rome.
Nearly every road and rail juno
ton in the Naples area was under
attack around the clock. Enemy
troop movements from north and
south of Salerno. some with as
many as 200 vehicles, were strafed
and bombed.
German broadcasts as well as
official Allied reports said til e
fighting at Salerno was grim.
I'm the Salerno sector, a Ger
man attack is progressing in the
northern part of the battle zone, -
the Berlin communicate said. The
enemy was repulsed after fierce
defensive fighting and had with
drawn to narrow coastal area.
Southeast of Salerno, the enemy
attempted to widen his bridgehead
and to break through German po-
sitions in heights east of the coast
al plains. Fighting still is in prog
ress. German tank divisions cap.
tured 26 officers and 1,400 men in
fiqhting up to September II. Fifty.
eight tanks, mostly heavy ones.
and numerous heavy and light ar.
NOR also were captured.
(Berlin said their speedboats
sank a 1O,0OO-ton transport, a de.
stroyer and three Italian speed
boats attempting to attack a Ger
man convoy near Corsica, tw {
large merchantmen and a torpedo
boat were sunk in the Gulf oil
Salerno by bombers, Berlin as.
serted. More than 100000 Italian
troops were said to have surren.
dered to the Nazis and a grow.
ing number of Italian army units
declared their willingness to fight
on.)
Salerno, port city of $1,000 was
declared firmly in Allied hands
and Salerno is the of com.
munications leading up the Italian
west coast into the Naples area
The battle has been at white
'heat since the initial landings.