The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-10-25

Apennine spine to the Adriatic.
There Gen. Sir. Bernard L. Mont
gomery had forced the Trigno river
in an offensive launched on the an
niversary Of the battle Of FL Ala
r1ein, where the Eighth began the
march now continuing up the 1tal-
ian boot.
Montgomery expanded his bridge
head across the Trigno On the
coastal plain in the offensive which
should be regarded as curtain
raiser rather than the main event.
(The reference was not amplified,
but appeared to hint broadly at
some brewing action on q grand
scale by the Eighth Army which
would capitalize on the technically
achieved by-pasSing Of Rome in a
possible effort to squeeze out the
NaziS without a frontal assault on
the eternal city,.
With the British flank Of the
Fifth Army against towering Mas
sico Ridge and the Americans push
Ing forward on the upper reaches
Of the Volturno, the situation was
likened to that at Catania In Sic
lily, where the Eighth Army held o
line for weeks while the Americans
and Canadians wheeled around to
flank the strong German defensive
positions.
The loss Of Sparanise will require
the Germans TO pull back north Of
the. Volturno between that town
aid the sea or risk being cut off
BY an American or British thrust
from either flank.
Sparanise Important
The importance which the Ger
mans attached TO Sparanise was in
dicated by the vigor with which
they struck back. Forr counter-at-
tack around Sparanise and Pigna-
toro to the east were beaten down,
and finally the NaZis withdrew.
A British officer who served in
the last war gave the following pic
ture Of the situation In Italy:
when we had horses and men
and the nations didn't arrive we
could force the horses and men to
advance on empty stomachs when
we had TO. But In this war, when q
vehicle runs out Of petrol, nothing
Will make 1t move until . new sup
ply arrives"
Thus, he added, progress through
the hills and ridges over which the
Allied troops are supplied mostly by
mules promises to be slow.
An official spokesman described
Sparanise, 95 miles south Of Rome,
as very important In q vital area"
only five miles to the north lies the
new German Mondragone- Venafro
defense line.
The East Coast
On the Italian east coast, the
British Eighth Army widened and
deepened its bridgehead on the
coastal plain north Of the Trigno
river, The British and Canadians
forced the river in six to eight
mile advance Saturday on the first
anniversary Of the Eighth Army's
victory at FL Alamein.
Canadian tanks are In action, It
was announced.
"On the Eighth Army front, we
have improved our bridgehead over
the river Trigno" the daily COM
mtnique said. STEADY progress con-
tinues to be made along the whole
front, particularly in the central
and southern sectors"
The Eighth Army advance carried
q long-range thanking threat against
Rome, for the army already Is some
miles north of a line due east #
the Italian capital.
Stiff Resistance
German Marshal Albert Kessel-
rings forces were reported putting
up stiff resistance against both the
Fifth and Eighth armies.
The Germans threw particularly
heavy forces against the Fifth army
as Sparanise, wh.Ae the Allies out
flanked German troops holding a
canal near the west coast, but were
thrown back four times and then
retire.
active and extensive patrolling
continued on the Fifth army front
with small advances in certain Sec
tors" the eommunique said. Sew
eral German counter attacks were
repulsed.