The Wilmington morning star., 1943-09-18
NAILS WEAKENED
Germans May Be Pulling
Away To Avoid Cap
ture By British Army
u. S. HAS INITIATIVE
Heights South OF Galore
River Seized By Amer
can Invaders

- - - ~ ~ AA1AAo0 ~ 1AAs-
TIERS IN NORTH AFRICA,
Sept. 17.-(P)-The Ameri-
can Fifth Army, winner of
the violent battle for Salerno,
Joined today with the British
Eighth army after the latter's
epic 200-mile conquest of the
Italian toe and shattered the
last hopes of the weakened
Germans for establishing a
defense line in that area.
Indications were that the
Germans already were being
pulled away from the south
ern end of the Salerno front
to avoid being caught from
behind by Gen. Sir Bernard
L. Montgomery's onrushing
Britons.
Firmly holding the initia-
tive, Lieut.. Gen. Mark W.
Clark's Fifth Army battered
10 miles inland to capture the
elevated village of Albanella.
The Allies also seized other
heights south of the Galore
river, commanding the coast
al flats on which much of the
past weeks bloody fighting
ragged.
Airfield Is Captured
Radio A1glers said the Allies
had taken Montecorvino and its
excellent airfield, IL miles in
land and II miles east of Salerno)
All Allied holdings in southern,
eastern and western Italy were
welded into a single front. The
Eighth Army not only joined the
Fifth below the cemented Salerno
beachheads, but established con-
tact with other British forces beat
ing up eastern Italy's Adriatic
coast from laramie beyond Bari.
The German air force almost
vanished from southern Italian
skies. The preponderance of AL
lied air power was turned in
smashing might against commune
cations north of Naples, casting
high explosive barrage around that
great Italian port which Clark
calls his next objective.
The half-American, haf-British
Fifth Army was strongly reinforc-
ed and in high fighting spirit de-
spite a week of violent combat on
and near the beaches. Naval sup
port continued excellent.
The possibility that further NaM
Withdrawals northward were in
progress was seen in the announce
ment of weakened resistance to
the Fifth Army's enlargement Of
its fcothold onto high ground. and
in the fact that the main body of
the Eighth Army was advancing
to an area where it could jeopar-
die enemy forces anywhere south
of the Sele river.
Clark and Montgomery establish
ed contact in or near the south
ern end of the Salerno bridgehead,
which extends to Agropoi. The
last announced town to fall to the
Eighth Army was VALID Della Lu-
cania, Is miles from Agropoli.
The absence of German planes
for the second day and the weak
ened fire from anti-aircraft batter
les were viewed as significant.
German ground fire usually is in
tense over anv area the Germans
intend to hold. Pilots encounter
ed little flax yesterday anywhere
near the front.
(The German communicate said
that Allied parachute troops had
been wiped out behind their lines,
that Allied resistance had stiffened
considerably since tr n rein
forcements landed and that 1.-The
enemy landing head at Salerno
was still further compressed" The
Nazis asserted they had isolated
U. S. groups in the Eboli area,
capturing prisoners and materiel.
Subsequent broadcasts admitted
the Fifth and Eighth Armies had
joined; that Montgomery had pour
ed division and a half int o
American positions and that 10
ships were heading for Salerno).
Three entire provinces in south
ern Italy were in Allied hands.
Three important ports of Taran.o,
Bari and Brindisi were captured
A large number of excellent bases
with paved runways, particularly
in Apulia province along the Adr;.
attic, were taken. Capable Of ham
ding the heaviest bombers, the
fields brought the FESTIVE Balkans
Continued on Page Five; Col. 81