Evening star., 1944-05-12
Some Initial Obiectives Taken
In Attack Along 25-Mi|e Front
z Rivers Reported
Crossed in Drive
On Gustuv Line
MAP on Page A-3.)
py the Associated Press.

Naples, May 12.-The Allies 5tf
and 9th Armies have launched {
great offensive in Italy and have
driven wedges in the Gustav
Line, advancing more than {
mile at one point, front-line dis.
patches said at noon today.
The big push along a 25-mile from
from Casino to the Tyrrhenian Ses
was launched at IL o'clock las
night under a record -shattering ar.
tillery barrage, and shock troop.
won initial objectives at number
of points. Hundreds of planes ane
big naval guns supported the Of
fensive.
Elsewhere the Germans were re-
sisting fiercely, still blocking the
way.
(The Berlin radio said today
American troops had gained
ground, but then had been de
feated before they had been able
to settle down" The Germans
located one of the main Amer
lean blows near Castelforte, 13
miles south of Casino and 6
miles inland from the Tyrrhe-
nian Sea-
At one unspecified point at least
the Allies had thrust ahead 1000
yards in gaining their first goals.
Nazis Loose Flood Waters.
Attacking on the Casino sector
Sth Army men crossed the Rapido
and Carl Rivers and pushed on, a
dispatch said, and airmen reported
the attack on the right of the
Rapido appeared to be going ahead
The Germans loosed flooding waters
from the Rapido reservoir system.
The land gains were wedges driver
into the German defenses, but these
were merely part of a general pro-
gram of ripping away the lines ol
the powerful German mountain
positions.
Allied air power in incessanl
pounding of Nazi communications
has kept all north-south rail lines
in Italy severed since March "a, ano
the land attack came as the world
awaited cross Channel invasion.
French troops went into action
first, making a surprise thrust Is
minutes before the artillery opened
up all across the peninsula, and es-
pecially in the Garigliano and Cas-
sino sectors where the 5th and 9th
Armies attacked.
Simultaneous Attacks.
Other troops attacked simultane.
ously with the start of the bar.
rage.
Initial objectives inckded high
areas of strategic Importance, anc
operations including scaling steer
hills.
The new attack is a full Allied
stroke-by American, British. Do
minion, Polish, French and italian
troops.
Secretly regrouped, 1t. Gen. Mark
w. Clark'S 5th Army struck on the
westward flank running in from the
Tyrrhenian Sea, and the 9th Army
transferred from the Adriatic
plunged forward in the Casino sec.
tor. Is miles inland on the curvin'
battlefront, attempting to drive uE
the Liri Valley.
Fifth Army men fought into the
rugged mountain mass rising from
the Garigliano Valley, southwest Of
Casino, in an effort to clear these
heights.
Latest reports indicated no biz
offensive action had yet beer
launched on the Anzio beachheae
below Rome, about so miles west Of
Casino.
In their desperate fight the Nazi
were reported throwing up curtain
Of mortar, artillery and machine
gun fire, and using f1amethrower
on at least one 5th Army sector.
The laundering Allied artillery
barrage was described as the heav.
lest yet laid down in this theater
surprising even the great artiller,
displays that heralded Gen. Sil
Bernard Montgomery's offensive il
Africa.
Gen. Sir Harold Alexander, com
mander in chief in Italy, is directing
the assault.
Differs From Other Attacks.
In pre-battle statement, Ii
Gen. Sir Oliver Leese. successor Il
Gen. Montgomery as 9th Army com
mander, said this battle differ
from previous attacks of the 8tf
Army.
Our task is to assault and breal
through in turn a series of ma
tural defensive positions strongl,
held and long prepared, each o
which the Germans Will cling t
until forced out.
Our immediate objective is tn
Gustav Line which has been forti
fed for many months past, and in
cludes modern concrete defens
works in many places.
Behind this lies the Adolf Hit
Ter Line, another strong natura
defensive position, which German
military engineers prepared TO
months past, strengthened to tn
utmost and which Hitler's troop
will be ordered to hold to the las
man. The defenses we now are at
tacking are the strongest the British
Army has encountered in the pres
ent war"
Defenses Strengthened.
The fact that Hitler gave his owl
name to this second line beyon
the Gustav defenSes indicates it
strength and NaZi belief that it vii
not be broken.
Anticipating the onslaught, tn
enemy has strengthened these de
scnses, especially the Hitler Line
With steel and concrete, using hi
c"n men and thousands of Italian
i 'o"ers.
= Germans also cleared civil
(See ITALY. Page A-3J