Evening star., 1944-07-30
New zeaIanders Push
To Position Within
5MiIes Of Florence
By the Associated Press.

S0S eAic AseOCbaeeu IIcsS.
ROME, July 20. - The final
phase OF the battle for Florence
opened violently in the rolling
hills to the south today as vet
eran New Zealanders of the 9th
Army drove to a point just S
miles below the historic city and
the Germans quickly countered
every Allied thrust with strong
forces Of Tiger tanks.
The German Army, south of the
Arno River, was compressed into a
front only 80 miles long which
threatened to give way along its
entire western END and pave the
war for the fall of Florence.
Eighth Army units crowding in on
this western segment were able to
maintain only minor contact with
the enemy, who was forced to flee
as the New Zealanders, hsmmering
northeastward from Cerbaia to the
point five miles below Florence,
threatened to isolate Nazi troops
remaining in an eight mile wide
wedge between the mouth OF the
Elsa River and Montelupo to the
east.
The New Zealanders, prepared for
battle in the summer heat by their
previous victorious fighting in the
deserts of Africa. cut into the last
mountain line below Florence. They
sprang from a small bridgehead
they had established over the tiny
Pesa River near Cerbaia.
Troops Near Empoli.
Other 9Th Army troops drove to
within 2 miles of Empoli, Is miles
west of Florence on the south bank
Of the Arno, and still other units
closed in on Florence from the
Southeast South Africans crossed
the Greve River, 7 miles south of
Florence below Impruneta, and still
other 9th Army forces won noun
tain positions 8 miles southeast of
the city.
During the night, Associated Press
Correspondent Lynn Heinzerling
wrote from the Florence battlefield
that Germans holding the last ridge
between the New Zealanders and
the city itself lashed out with two
counterattacks, each OF company
strength.
Despite heavy 9th Army artillery
fire, the enemy put two dents in the
New zealanders' line in the St.
Michele and La Romola areas, roll
Ing them back 900 yards.
Situation Restored.
With vengeance the New Zea-
landers restored the situation early
today and moved ahead for further
gains. Mr.. Heinzerling reported.
The German hig command
said the Allies had thrown eight
divisions into the battle for
Florence, but that their assault
was heidi
The situation before the city of
Pisa and elsewhere along the Amer
lean 5th Army front remained I'M
changed.
There was evidence OF growing
tension over the fate of Pisa, with
American and German artillery con-
tinuing to duel across the lower
Arno before the city.
Towers Fate Uncertain.
So far Allied headquarters has
given no intimation whether Ameri-
can artillery massed on the south
bank Of the Arno in the vicinity of
Pisa would be ordered to spare the
famous leaning tower.
Dispatches from the 5th' Army
showed that the enemy had con-
verted many buildings on the north
side into strongpoints from which
a deadly machine-gun and mortar
fire has been pouring across the
Arno into the American positions.
Headquarters announced today
the transfer to new duties in the
United States of two of the. top
American Divisional commanders in
the Italian war theater, Maj. Gen
Charels Ryder, commander of the
oath Infantry Division, and Mai
Gen. Ernest N. Harmon, commander
of the lst Armored Division, both
veterans of the North African as
well as the Italian campaigns. Gen
HaI mons home is at Vienna. Va.