Evening star., 1943-08-12
Sicily
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OICny
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| f1anking of the San Agata-Cesaro
line from the sea at the week end
was lacking, but the Americans
broke up the counterattacks. and a
field dispatch said they had sue
cessfully established a bridgehead"
Forces Probably Trapped.
The action, near the mouth of
the Nazo River, 40 miles due west
of Messina, probably trapped large
German forces within 10-mile area
between the main American Army
attacking frontally along the north
coast and the landing party at the
rear.
Elsewhere in the battle for Sicily
steady Allied advances were reported
on all fronts and large scale air at
tackS on the Italian mainland were
resumed.
A strong force Of American Flying
Fortresses bombed Terni. an i'm
oortant railway and manufacturing
center so miles north of Rome, in
the heaviest of these sweeps.
The key German base of RAN
dazzo has been brought under fire
by light as we'll as heavy artillery
of the American force fighting
it's way eastward along the road
from Cesaro, indicating ground lines
have been established within miles
Of the town.
Closing in from the southwest, a
British 9th Army column was re-
ported more than half way along
on the 10-mile road between Bronte
and Randazzo.
The villages of Pra iola and Zaf-
terana Etna, on the eastern slopes
of Mount Etna. fell into British
hands. (The daily communique, as
received in New York. referred to
capture of village south of Pra-
jola" and Zafferana Etna. This dis
patch presumably is based on later
information
Eighth Army vanguards are now
Is miles north of Catania and with
in 10 miles of Taormina, the port
through which German forces in
Central Sicily are supplied.
The point of armed contact in
this coastal thrust apparently is
at or near the port of Riposto.
which lies 10 miles south of Taor-
minaD
Consolidate Positions.
The new American landing behind
the German lines developed as other
detachments of the 7th Army con-
, solidated positions in the area OF
San Marco d'Alunzio, between
American held San Agata and Cape
Orlando
we're keyed up to hair trigger alert
ness by the San Agata coup. which
netted powerful Notifications and
about 800 prisoners.
tThe German high command
said in a communique broadcast
from Berlin that the latest land
ing, which it described as on a
major scale, was west of Cape
Orlando rather than east and
that it was repulsed.
C"The major port of the enemy
landing troops did not ever reach
the coast" said the Nazi COM
munique as recorded by the As
sociated Press. Units of the
enemy which succeeded in get
ting ashore were annihilated"
AS soon as the fighting started
the American warships shelled Ger
man troop concentrations. At the
same instant the co-ordinated
American air support came into
action and fighter bomber squad
rons dived on the enemy with all
their guns blazing.
Counter Attacks Broken Up.
Nevertheless, the Germans were
able to mount number of counter
attacks. All were broken up and the
Americans fought their way on to
the shore objectives.
The warships then shifted their
batteries, lobbing heavy shells at
Nazi strong points along the beach
and inland
So far as was known here. the
landing party has not yet estab-
lished direct contact with the main
American forces west of Cape Or
lando.
GA dispatch filed from the field
this morning by Associated Press
Correspondent Harold V. Boyle
said the Americans had fought
through the night in an effort to
make this contact
While it was not officially stated,
the principal objective of the am
phibious thrust presumably was to
cut the main north coast road be-
fore the Germans could either re-
treat or move in reinforcements
Battle reports noted that German
troops appeared to be tiring under
the relentless Allied land sea and
air pressure. There is no sign, how
ever of a general crackup although
the Axis forces are manifestly fight
ing only to gain time and to make
this last phase of the Sicilian cam
paign as expensive for the Allies as
possible.
Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhowers field
commanders are able to replace