The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-10-25

Flfth Army has cap.
tursd spsrsnlse. 1--WE miles north Of
the VoltUrno River on the main
road 10 Rome, Il was announced
today.
An Allied Force Command Post.
italy. oct 25-UP--Gen. Sir HaI.
old n. l.. G. Alexander. command
err OF Allied Ground Forces. said
today that tho Allied advance in
Italy has been slowed by huge Ger
man reinforcements rushed In from
other fronts, and warned that the
Fifth and Ighth Armies face an
increasingly bitter night In their
drive for Rome In his first con
ference with Anglo-American cor
respondents since the Italian cam.
paign began. Alexander revealed
that IS to 10 German divisions
$4,000 to 10000 men-now were
tied up in Italy and the Balkans.
contrasled with only four 10 i've
divisions in Italy when the inta-
sion was launched.
Moving Ahead
In Italy American spesrheads Of
the Fifth Army were reported
within Is miles OF Nenafro. inland
pivot OF the Fazls Massico Ridge
line. The American wing OF the
Fifth Is slor'' but surely moving
ahead. threatening to unhlnge and
roll back the Germans southern
defenses OF Rome. The Germans
eastern defensea OF the Italian capl.
tai also were lettering dangerously
In the face Of ron wed British
drive. The British captured sew
eral heights dominating tho road
from the Zadriatic port OF Termoll
TO Pescara. So terminal 10 the so
called back door TO Rome"
General Montgomery British
Eighth Army smashed six miles
into the Nazis' mountain defenses
TO seize four strateglcally located
towns and force a crossing OF the
TriEno River. II was along the
Trlgnor that the Germans had
hoped 10 hold Montgomery yster.
ans in their drive on Rome from
the east.
Meets Revsrsss
In Russia the Axis met reverse
after reverse. And today n tremen-
dous twin.pronged Soviet offensive
threatened more than million
Nazi troops with disaster OF Stain
grad proportions after powerful
Russian columns blasted their way
TO within six miles OF Krivol Rog
and slashed westward In new
drive from Melitopol
With capture OF Iozovatka. tsiN
miles north Of Kriyoi Rogl. the Sow
lets severed yet another escape
route for the huge Nazi army Wv
tually entrapped in the Dnieper
Bend near DnieprUpetrovsk The
German-controlled Taris radio said
the Russians already are in Kriyoli
Rog, and vicious battle. was
said to be raging in tho streets.
To the south other Russian col
umns smashed six miles west OF
Melitopol toward the Dnieper
mouth and the Black Sea
Germany itself likewise felt ths
sharp blows OF Allied attack today.
Giant HalifaXes. Iancasters and
Stirling night raiders apparently
struck deep into the Reich before
dawn. Broadcasting stations at Ber-
lin and Luxembourg went off the
air, regularly an indication that
bombers are over the Reich.
These attacks came on the heels
OF Axis reports OF the first air as
saults against Styria, 1.-The Ruhr OF
Austria" and on Danube valley tar
gets in Hungary, by 500 Allied
bombers and fighters. Although
these raids have not yet been con.
firmed by United Nations officials.
enemy reports indicated they we're
carried out by American heavy
bombers based on recently captured
/ Italian airdromes.
Attacks ship
In the Southwest Pacific a lone
American L!berator bomber was re
vesled TO have probably sunk Jap
Warship described in General Mac
Arthur's communique as "resem-
bling an aircraft carrier The big
B.24 was on night reconnaissance
mission when il spotted the jap
: ship off Bougainville Island. The
American pilot attacked at once.
| planted three bombs amidsh.ps in
the Jap ship, and flew away leav-
ing the enemy vessel exploding and
+ In flames.
( Mitchell medium bombers had
! another crack az Wewak and they
and their Allied fighter escort de.
stroyed IS Jap planes on But and
/ Dagua airfields. They also sank two
enemy merchant vessels in the har-
Dor. planted a direct hit on a third
ship. and probably shot down siN
Ze-os which tried to interfere. We
/ lost four fighter planes.