Imperial Valley press., 1943-09-15
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,y an unprecedented aerial opera
ton in which every type of plane
even including Flying Fortresses
were thrown into support OF the
ground troops in stenming the ene-
my counteroffensive. More thar
1000 sorties were flown in the big
gest day of air operations in the
Mediterranean campaign as the all
force came to the aic Of the lnVa-
sion troops.
(The German communique today
admitted that the Allies were max
ing a strong stand around Salerno
with aid of naval guns, but the
Nazi propaganda agencies claimed
that the British at Salerno had
been cut off from the Americans to
the south and that the Allied posi-
ton was hopeless. The NaZis, how
ever, abandoned their claims that
the Allies were evacuating. London
thought the next "a hours might be
decisive)
WILD BATTLES
Many of the most powerful Ger
man attacks were made at night
and the beaches were turned into
wild scenes of battle, with guns and
fires roaring through the darkness
and the sand hills Uttered with
wreckage Both sides obviously suf-
fered heavy losses, a spokesman
said.
Allied spokesmen made no at
tempt to minimize the seriousness
of the situation and the obvious
strength with which the Germans
are throwing everything into their
attacks because the time in which
they might succeed is growing
short. The Germans were reinforc-
ed, including the 29th motorized
division which raced up from the
south, and the numerical strength
is probably equal to ours.
Although the British 9th army is
expected TO reach Agropoli, the
southern end of the Salerno bridge
head, within three days, a spokes-
man emphasized that the 5th army
has no intention of depending upon
that for relief.
The 5th army, he said, is fighting
its own battle and will still be
fighting when the 9th army joins
them.
Some of the bitterest fighting
of the campaign centered around
Altavilla and Albanella, both south
of Salerno and south of the Sele
river, where the Americans thrust
10 miles inland but were later
fnrcal haa ;rtn
by German counterattacks. 1t was
apparently in this sector that the
communique said the Allies yielded
ground and then consolidated the
new positions to which they had
retired, since the British still held
Salerno and none of our beach
positions was broken at last reports.
THRUST ON RIVER
The Germans, however, were ap-
parently trying to thrust down the
Sele river TO the coast in order TO
split the Americans and British.
How close to the coast their drive
carried them was not certain.
Allied airmen said that the scenes
on the beaches were undesirable.
THE sky seemed filled with
smoke" Sgt. Bernard Chovinard of
Fall river, Mass, said. Shells were
bursting everywhere. The Germans
were getting their share of it. Sew
eral of their buildings were afire."
The Nazi artillery was throwing
a nonstop barrage of armor pierre
ing shells and high explosives at
the Allied beach positions and Al
lied ships off shore.
The aerial offensive, which was
the most powerful ever sent in sup
port Of an Allied army, was supple
mented by Allied Naval forces,
which moved in close TO the coast
and battered enemy gun positions
guns. One of the u. S. Cruisers
under Vice-Admiral Henry X
Hewitt fired 355 rounds at enemy
tanks and machine gun nests in a
ny.
There was no question that Gen.
Dwight d. Eisenhower and his high
command had put aside any
thought of eyacuating the Salerno
bridgehead and were fighting with
tNfit @ldilcs slip dllu HAL Nitg
could throw into the battle.
(The German commnnique today
acknowledged that the Allies had
made new and strong stand on
the beaches south OF Naples with
support of naval guns.)
The Allied aerial superiority was
demonstrated by the fact that none
of Ollr aircraft was lost during "A
record day OF operations, and that
only six enemy planes were shot
down. presumably because Of the
comparatively small number put
into the air.