Evening star., 1943-11-27
9Th Army Advances,
5th Smashes Enemy
Thrusts Near Venafro
American Heavy Bombers
BIost Roll Facilities on
Both Sides Of ItoIy
6y the Associated Press,

BY the Associated Press.
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS, Al
giers, Nov. 27.-British 9Th Army
troops have Slashed forward to
extend their bridgehead across
the swollen Sangro River, which
has risen over two feet and in
some places is now a thousand
feet wide, it was announced
today.
American troops of 1t. Gen. Mark
w. Clarks 5th Army smashed two
enemy thrusts west of Venafro as
the weather improved in that sector
of the Italian front.
In the air war American heavy
bombers pounded rail facilities on
two sides of the Italian peninsula,
hitting at Recco, near Genoa, and
at Rimini, on the Adriatic coast.
Allied Convoy Attacked.
Meanwhile, it was announced that
at least 10 German bombers. in
cluding some big Heinkel ITS, were
shot down early last night when a
force of about 80 Nazi planes at
tackled an Allied convoy in the Medi-
terranean. The convoy suffered
only Slight damage.
The attack occurred off North
Africa almost at dusk and was in
terrupted spectacularly by the ar
rival of a swarm of Allied fighters
from the Coastal Command-Beau
fighters flown by American and
British pilots and Spithres piloted
by Frenchmen.
The Heinkel 1T is almost as big
as a Flying Fortress, but is some
thing OF a failure" the Allied air
force said
The new plane is IS feet long
with a Wingspread of 103 feet, an
inch less than a Flying Fortress. 1t
has four engines. but only two
propellers, each of which is driven
by two engines working in tandem.
1t is designed to carry the heaviest
bomb load of any German plane.
Six Allied Planes Lost.
The Allied announcement did not
say how many planes were lost in
defending the convoy, but today's
communique said that in all aerial
operations in this theater Yesterday
6 Allied planes were missing while
l3 enemy craft had been brought
down.
Enemy infantry forming for an
attack in the Mignano region of the
5th Army front was broken up bv
heavy artillery fire from American
batteries.
The Germans were reported to be
installing new field fortifications on
the slopes of Mount Canine and
likewise intrenching themselves
more deeply along both sides of the
Via Casilina, the most direct road
to Rome.
Axis Positions Bombed.
Strong forces of light and medium
bombers pounded the enemys 'front.'
line positions throughout the day
yesterday, especially on the 9Th
Army sector.
A vladuct was the target of Flying
Eortresses at Recco and photographs
showed the span probably was hit
three times and rendered unservice-
able for the present.
Fortresses also attacked car sheds
lat Rimini, while Liberators bombed
four railway bridges on the Adriatic
coast at Falconara, Fano, Sessano
and Senegallia.
American Mitchells struck at rail-
way yards, warehouses and docks at
Ancona and last night RAF Yelling
tons bombed railway bridges at
Grosseto while fighter bombers hit
docks and small freighter at
Civitavecchia, northwest of Rome.
Flying without escort, American
Marauders laid heavy concentra-
ton of bombs in the center of Cas-
sina, an important base for Ger
man troops defending the main
route to Rome.
The air forces also gave direct
support to the adavnce of the 9th
Armys ground forces. who had
several clashes with the Germans
on the upper reaches of the Sangro
as well as improving their bridge
head near the mouth Of the river.