Evening star., 1943-12-29
Canadians Who Took
0fona Smash On
Toward Pescara
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS
AlgierS, Dec. 29. - Canadian
troops, after capturing Ortona
In the most violent house to-
house battle of the Mediter-
ranean campaign, smashed north
along the coast in snow ano
sleet today toward Rome's Adri.
attic port of Pescara.
An Allied comunique announced
that the eieht-day bitter struggle
for Ortona is over
The communique said medium
bombers bombed airfields neal
Rome. pounding hangers, buildings
and dispersal areas at Ciampino
south Of Rome. and accurately
blasting Centocelle. east of the Ital.
ian capital.
On the 5th Army front. the Ger
mans launched full-scale attack
down the eastern coast on the town
Of Ponte di Garigliano. near the
mouth of the Garigliano River
where battle was still in progress
French Troops Capture Mountain.
Farther inland, French Moroccan
troops captured 30O0-foot noun
tain in heavy fighting and American
troops closed in on San Vittore on
the vital Rome road.
The violent battle for the port of
Ortona ended yesterday with the
town in ruins. The Germans are
retreatlng north along the coast
with the Canadians in pursuit
although rain. snow and sleet. COM
oined with high winds, is hamperins
their progress.
A dispatch from the battlefront
SAID Ortona last night resembled a
tomb. Many soldier and civilian
oead were lying in the streets and
doorways, not yet removed by burial
parties.
Every street in the Adriatic port
OF 5000 was said to be piled HIGH
with debris, most of which was ex-
tensively mined by the retreatine
Nazis.
Remaining Civilians Stunned.
There were no cheering civilians
70 greet the Canadians in this vic
tory for those who had remained
in the town were too stunned To
realize fully that the enemy was
gone.
On the 9Th Army front. Indian
and New Zealand troops occupied
two ridges near Villa Grande and
cut the Canosarielli Road in several
places. In the mountains west of
Ortano the 9Th Army was about nine
miles from the important city of
Chieti.
Although half of Italy was swept
by storm, the American 18th Air
Force struck heavily in the north,
resulting in widespread air battles
during which 20 German planes were
shot down for a loss of IL Allied
aircraft.
The medium bombers, which at
tackled Rome's airfields. also bombed
Guidonia, while heavy Liberato
bombers pounded railway yards at
the North Adriatic port Of Rimini
and at Vicenza, 40 miles west of
Venice.
19 German Planes DOwned.
The force which attacked Vicenza
encountered so German planes with
q resultant fray which saw the de-
struction of at least l9 German
planes and perhaps an additional
five.
Other aerial activity included as
saults on rail targets near Ferentino;
on a railway bridge near Castillo:
tn port of Civitavecchia. northwest
OF Rome. and AnZio and Nettuno
southwest of the Italian capital.
Air force headquarters. mean
while, announced that the Adriatic
had been virtually closed to Ger
man shipping as had the waters
between France and Northern Italy
as the result of Allied air patrols
The announcement added on the
other hand that since November
8. 1912. 22.526485 tons of Allied
shipping had been escorted N the
Mediterranean with loss of only
1l4 per cent.