The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-02-03
The War On MonyFronts
By United Press

American tanks and 1nfantrymen closed death trap around the Ger man stronghold of Casino today while Red armies on the Russian front poured across the northern border into Estonia.
 Over fortress Europe, more than HOO American heavy bombers and fighters blasted the big German naval base of Wilhe1mshaven in the third large-scale U. s. raid on the Reich within week.
 The virtual encirclement of Cas- sino, fulcrum of the German shat tered Gustav line, was accomplished by American mountain troops Strik- ing swiftly north of the city in drive to widen Tuesdays break through along a four-mile segment Of the enemy line.
 Front reports indicated the battle hardened doughboy units may have cut across the vital via Casilina highway above Casino and dis patches said some Americans already have filtered into the outskirts of the town. Repeated enemy counter attacks were reported but a head quarters commumique said all as- saults were crushed.
 While the Allies were battering down German resistance in the hills around Casino, American and Brit ish invasion forces some 50 miles to the north forged their way in- land from the Anzio- Nettuno beach, head amid indications that the showdown fight for Rome would not long be delayed.
 Both sides were reported pouring endorsements into the battle area as British troops fought their way through Campo Leone on the north flank and American infantrymen 12 1-2 miles to the south continued their assault on Cisterna, import ant highway junction astride the Appian way. The Americans suc- cessfully beat off enemy counter blows against their southern flank at Littoria.
 Russian Drive
 The Russian drive into Estonia on the northern front was reported broadening rapidly into a three pronged assault on Narva, historic fortress town astride the vital 27- mile-wide land corridor between the Gulf of Finland and Lake Pei-' pus.
 Gen. Leonid A. Govorov's fast TnlIiT1fr fnraos 411nrH towns and villages and killed 1900 German troops in sweeping to with in six miles east, seven northeast and 15 southeast of Narva, six miles across the border.
 Stockholm dispatches said the Germans already were evacuating the pivotal stronghold and 8 Fin nish broadcast reported the enemy had decided upon general with drawal from eastern Estonia.
 To the south on the Ukrainian front, another crushing Soviet vic- tory was disclosed today when the Germans acknowledged the loss of Rovno, their administrative head quarters for the occupied Ukraine, and the rail town of Luck, 43 miles to the west, to Red Armies that penetrated up to 55 miles inside old Poland along the ancient invasion route to Warsaw. The German announcement of the evacuation of Rovno and Luck indicated that Gen. Nikolai F.; Va- tutin's 1st Ukrainian armies had smashed two-week deadlock on the Southern Polish front and opened a strong new offensive along the Warsaw -Kazatin rail- road
 Still another powerful Russian drive was reported west of Novo- sokolniki, 200 miles south of the Estonian front, where the forces of Gen. Markian Popov, commander of the second Baltic front, overran several localities, killed 5000 enemy troops and cut an important high way in a swift advance that car- ried within 60 miles of the Latvian border.