The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1943-10-01

OIl CClItCI illIlt Illl1CS oOutll VI
Naples and within clear view
of their goal.
With the first great step
in the conquest of Italy near
ing completion in the capture
Of a superb deepwater port,
| it was announced that Gen.
Dwight D. Eisenhower, AL
lied commander in chief, met
yesterday with Marshal Pie
tro Badoglio to discuss the
entire use of 1taly's army and
navy against the Nazis.
(The German controlled
Vichy radio said tonight that
NAPLES no lonoer is inside
the German defense line in
southern Italy. The German
line now runs north of the
city."N
Fall Of Naples Near
The fall of Naples was near. The
five German divisions bu]Warking
the Nazi defense were seen flee
ing into the city and then stream
| ing to the north and northeast in
orderly retreat.
The unbroken advance OF the
American Fifth Army rolled be-
yond Mercato San Severino, %
miles southeast of Naples, and
approached the broad plains OF
lVesuvius in move that threat
ened to flank the city of $4,000
and trap any German rear guards
who elected to fight there behind
street barricades.
The Allies already were think
ing about Rome, 1t. Gen. Mark
w. Clark's second announced OBJ
jective, which lies 1876 rail miles
norht of Naples across broad plains
melted with excellent highways. A
military spokesman today quoted
an old schoolbook saying, "all
roads lead to Rome" adding that
the Nazis face an almost impossi-
BILE military task of supplying their
troops south of the capital for
full scale battle unless they use
Rome as a fortified, and not an
open city.
| The extreme right flank of the
Allied line across Italy rapidly
was investing the Adriatic coast.
The British Eighth Army advance
ed 20 miles north of Zapponeto to
capture Manfredonia on the gulf
of that name. Some indications
were that Gen. Sir. Bernard L.
Montgomery might be hurting part
of his forces westward to flank
the Volturno river, 20 miles north
of Naples, to which the main body
of Marshal Albert Kesselring's Ar
my appeared to be fleeing.
The frontal and thanking ap-
proaches 20 Naples were mined and
demolished extensively. These IA
miliar German retreat tactics
were particularly annoying to the
British and American troops of
the Fifth Army beating upon
Naples along the narrow coastal
bottleneck between Vesuvius and
the sea. But already the army was
well ensconced on the Naples plains
and exerting ever-increasing pres
sure with strong armored forces
tanks, armored cars, mobile ar
tillery and the like.
Large, systematic demolitions
slowed the French cleanup of Cor
sica, their Mediterranean island
100 miles below France. U. S.
Rangers and Moroccan Goums de.
stroyed a tank and machine-gun
carrier in a. raid on Barchetta, IL
miles southwest of Bastia. The
French airforce destroyed six
planes, including four large Junk
ers-52 transports, and attacked a
convoy off Bastia. The French
communique said shock battalion
and patritt troops are eagerly pur.
suing the enemy between Aleria,
40 miles below Bastia, and Folelli,
Is miles south.
The modern town of Pompei,
which rose from the ruins of the
city obliterated by Vesuvius' most
violent eruption in 70 A. D., and
Mercato San Severino fell yester-
day
Airmen, who spotted the Ger
mans fleeing into Naples and be-
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