Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-07-23
9th Army Edges
Nearer Cutuniu
In Fierce Bottle
By the Associated Pres.

BY the Associated Press.
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN
NORTH AFRICA, July 23.-An
American armored division, over
running a collapsed Italian re-
sistance, has captured Palermo,
capital and largest city of Sicily,
thereby isolating the whole west
ern end of the island, Allied
headquarters announced today.
The fast-striking units of the
American 7th Army surpassed the
expectations of even their COM
mander, 1t Gen. George S. Patton,
jr., by racing from Emma in Central
Sicily to the north coast port in So
hours.
Advanced elements of the Army
entered Palermo at 10 am. yester-
day. and the Allied headquarters
communique said the capture of the
city with its two ajor harbors was
completed by evening.
Palermo, which has a normal
reacetime population of about 300,-
900, is situated some so miles from
the western tip of the island. It's
capture was the greatest victory of
the Sicilian campaign to date and
apparently was achieved without
severe fighting and with insignificant
losses to the Americans.
Thousands Of Italian forces were
trapped by the emergence of the
Allied spearhead on the North ST.
Gillian coast.
Fierce Fighting Near Catania.
Meanwhile, however. the battle
for Catania and control of the
Mount Etna area on the north
eastern tip of the island entered its
second week of undiminished fury,
with Gen. Sir Bernard L. Mont
gomery's 9th Army edging closer to
the key city and inficting heaviest
losses on the Germans but still un-
able to score a knockout of Nazi
defenses.
Today's commun;que from Gen.
Dwight D. EisenhoWer's headquar-
tiers said the Canadians were
sistance to the southwest Of
Catania.
"a DNB broadcast from Berlin,
recorded by Reuters in London,
said the British 9th Army had
succeeded in making tenn
porary break through the Ger
man main defenses at the edge
of the mountains west of the
Catania Plain.
C'In a successful counterat-
tack the enemy suffered con-
siderable losses" the broadcast
added.
CThe Algiers radio reported
that fresh waves of Allied para
chute troops were attacking the
Germans north of Catania.
(Shortly before Allied head
quarters announced the capture
in a broadcast recorded in Lon
don said it was reported that
the Italians also had abandoned
Marsha and Trapani. the other
two principal cities of Western
Sicily.
The Italian communicate ad-
mitted that Axis defense forces
had withdrawn in Western Sicily
in the face of powerful ar
mored formal ATOMS but gave no
clue as to the extent Of the with
drawalD
Valuable Shipping Facilities.
The capture of Palermo not only
split Sicily but gave the Allies pos
session of shipping accommodations
of the greatest value. There is
more than mile of wharf space
which has been damaged by re-
peated Allied bombings, but which
can be restored for operation in
short time.
At the same time the drive to
Palermo chopped off the last major
road arteries laterally across the
island and trapped any Axis troops
which had not escaped toward Mes
sina and Catania.
Official reports said italian re-
sistance tended to evaporate as tanks
and armored cars roared across the
roads on all sides of the enemy posi-
tons. overwhelming them before
they could be solidifed.
Palermo is the undisputed political
and cultural center of Sicily and its
fall in Italian eyes would in all
likelihood be considered almost the
same as loss of the entire island.
It's capture completed a run of
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