Evening star., 1944-02-01
Allies Within Is Miles Of Rome,
NaZi Line Near CassinoWeakens:
Wake Raid Aid sMarsha||s Attack
Invasion Force
Drives to Edge
Of CompoIeone
MAP on Page A-3.)
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS, Al
giers, Feb. 1.-Allied troops ad-
vancing in a big offensive from
their invasion beachhead have
struck to the outskirts of Cam
poleone, 16 miles southeast of
Rome, and also to the edge of
CiSterna, communications town
on the Appian Way IA miles
northeast of Anzio, headquarters
announced today.
Campoleone is Is miles above the
invasion port of Anzio.
Meanwhile, American troops, at
tacking on the main front north of
Casino, have hammered out new
gains and seized $50 prisoners from
the German 44th Infantry Division
A field dispatch said German de-
lenses in the corridor above Casino
were beginning to crumble.
Half Mile From Base.
American units striking northeast
OF Anzio have reached within half
a mile of Cisterna, a key rail and
road junction and large air base.
They found the Germans we'll dug
in on the border of the city, and
resisting strongly.
British forces pushing northward
carried ahead in a co-ordinated as
sault to the edge of Campoleone.
The twin attacks were the first
big offensive since the landings.
An Allied officer said the Nazis
brought troops from the area north
of Rome to meet the Allied blows.
But the Navy said Allied landings
OF relnforcements and supplies were
proceeding on schedule, under fa-
vorable conditions.
Austrian Air Base Raided.
American heavy bombers reached
into Austria seeking to destroy Ger
man air strength, pounding the air
base at Klagenfurt. The four
engined bombers also smashed at
fields at Aviano and Udine in
Northern Italy.
A field dispatch dated Monday
from Associated Press Correspond
ent Hal Boyle said the Americans of
the 5th Army who drove a wedge
into the Nazis' Gustav Line were
pursuing "the retreating Nazis
through the hills north of Casino
today as the entire enemy defenses
in this key corridor to Rome began
to crumble."
The nature of extensive and pow
erful enemy Notifications was dis
closed with capture of numerous
German troops, including officers,
Mr.. Boyle added.
Some prisoners complained they
had been in the line two days with
out food, indicating that air at
tacks on German communication
lines were giving the Mas "a major
supply problem" MI. Boyle said
Patrols said the town of Casino
Itself still was strongly held by the
enemy.
Counterattacks Repulsed.
British forces in the lower Garig-
1ldIlO oIICy W bllC WCSU llldbC SllOl
advances, capturing Mount Natalie,
northwest of Minturno, and winning
1,000-foot Mount Purgatorio, north
east Of Castelforte. The Allies con-
solidated positions on Mount Tuga,
and repulsed counterattacks in the
Castelforte sector, headquarters
said.
French troops made local ad-
vances in the hills above Casino.
American artillery fire drove off two
German counterattacks Sunday
night, headquarters continued.
On the 9Th Army front, Cana
dians attacking in clear weather
with strong tank and artillery sup
port advanced against heavy Ger
man opposition from dug-in posi-
tions. German fighter planes twice
we're repulsed in raids on Allied po-
sitions in the Orsogna area.
Eighteen Nazi planes fell to AL
lied sharpshooters during the day.
Sixteen others on the ground were
destroyed. The weather limited AL
lied operations to 800 sorties. -Four
Allied planes were lost.
Photographs showed 80 planes
we're destroyed on the ground in
Allied raids Sunday on German air
bases, principally in Northeastern
Italy, bringing the toll for five days
of air war to 251 German planes
wrecked in the air and aground.
A Navy bulletin disclosed that
light Allied costal forces, darting
close to the Yugoslav shore, sank
large schooner and a small tanker
between Sibenink and Split Satur-