The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-08-31
THE WAR ON MANY FRONTS
(By United Press)

The German official news agency reported today that small British raiding force had landed in southern Italy and Nazi military experts be- lieved the operation to be a pre- liminary to the main invasion by the Allies.
 There was no immediate Allied confirmation of the DNB report that 400 men had been put ashore on the toe of the Italian boot Sunday in an amphibious maneuver. The German broadcast claimed that the landing had been completely frustrated" but asserted that 30 men had es- capped into the mountains inland and were still at large.
 It was pointed out that the British had communications q u ip m n t which they had tried to set up as soon as they landed. DNB said the raiders were landed from warships southwest of Reggie Calabria, oppo- site Sicily.
 Powerful American and British armies that won Sicily in 39 days have been lined up along the Mes sina Straits since August IT, waiting for the signal to strike across the narrow stretch of water in the first attempt to establish a bridgehead on the European mainland.
 Intensive BOmbardment
 The Allied northwest African Air Force continued its intensive bom- bardment of Italian air fields and railways. American planes de- stroyed IT Axis aircraft while blast ing the railroad yards at Aversa, 10l miles north of Naples. Other Allied air fleets attacked Viterbo and Civ itavecchia, northwest of Rome.
 The British Royal Air Force re- opened its aerial offensive against western Germany last night, drop ping about 1,500 tons of bombs on the industrial and rail centers of Munchen- Gladbach and Rheydt in the Rhineland. Mosquito bombers attacked Duisburg.
 The raid on the Rhineland cities was their heaviest of the war and their first in more than two years. The tonnage of explosives dropped last night brought the total for August to 5,000-within 1000 tons of the July record, with one night | left for possible bombing operations this month.
 It was the first large scale attack | by the RAF on western Germany since August g.
 Annihilated Nazis
 On the Russian front, Soviet col- umns drove deeper into the Uk- raine aid, to the south. proceeded with the annihilation of thousands of German troops trapped between Taganrog and Vesela Vaznesenskaya |, on the Sea of Azov. The Russians yesterday announced the capture of Taganrog, southern anchor of the Nazi defense line.
 More than 150 towns were sur- rounded by the Red cavalry and mechanized units that cut in behind Taganrog. The German troops that managed to escape this trap were falling bacwk speedily toward the Kalmius river, 60 miles to the west.
 Military experts in London be- lieved that the Germans may be forced to withdraw their armies | from the Kuban bridgehead in the | western Caucasus and in the Crime an peninsula in view of the collapse | 0 ftheir southern defenses. Tagan- rog appeared to be one of the most important victories in the new So- viet offensive.
 Sporadic Fighting
 Sporadic fighting continued in Denmark. where the German occu- patton forces were reported to have killed at least 450 Danish civilians and soldiers in trying to stamp out resistance to the Na1 military rule.
 An entire German armored divi- sion was said tin reports reaching Sweden to have been sent from Nor way to Denmark to reinforce the harried occupation troops.
 Hubert Uxkull, United Press cor respondent, reported from Malmo, Sweden, just across the Oresund from Denmark, that many Danish patriots had escaped in, rowboats, minesweepers and other craft from | their oppressors. They were forced to run a gauntlet of German war ships and planes to reach Sweden and many died in the attempt he renortazs !