The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-05-24
AMERICAN TROOPS LASH OUT
FROM ANZIO IN GREAT FIGHT
TO TAKE ROME FROM GERMANS
|0THERS STRIKING
AT HITLER LINE
Aerial Bombardment Aids
Allies Twin Drives
To Smash Nazis

A l. l. | y ID HEADQUAR-
TIERS, Naples, May 23.-(PJ
-Massed Allied armies on
the Anzio beachhead and on
the main Italian front launch
ed simultaneous offensives
today, touching off a great
battle which may determine
the fates of both Rome and
of the German 10th army
within the next few days.
Paced by a terrific aerial on
slaught which rained thousands of
bombs on Nazi troop concentra-
tons and commune atoms, Ameri-
can and British troops of the Fifth
army lashed out from the beach
head less than 20 miles from the
outskirts of Rome under the per-
sonal direction of 1t. Gen. Mark,
w. Clark, who had established field
headquarters in the battle zone.
Veteran American infantrymen
struck toward Cisterna in order to
cut the Germans principal line OF
communication with the main ItaI-
ian front, and British Tommies
hit directly toward Rome
tThe Swiss radio reported that
Allied troops also were attack
ing at the eastern extremity OF
the beachhead and had reached
Lake di Fogliano. south of Littor-
la and only 20 miles from the main
battle line near Terracina.
On the l0ain Italian front Bril-
tons, Canadians and Poles of TIA
Eighth army at the same time
smashed furiously at the main Hit
Ter line defenses in the Liri valley.
80 miles east of the beachhead,
and American and French dlv,-
sions battered ahead on a rugged
front extending from Pico down to
Terracina on the sea.
Greatest Force
It was the greatest Allied strik-
ing force yet thrown into battle in
this war outside the Russian front.
The foe, II divisions strong, was
known to have been committed 10
battle by Field Marshal Gen AL
bert Kesselring in the hope Of
staving off the disaster which Gen.
Sir Harold Alexander promised
him.
For the enemy it was the show
down. The Nazis were left without
any reserves close at hand 10
throw into the battle. KesselrinS
could obtain reinforcements only
by moving new divisions from far
to the north over railroads and
highways already badly battered
by Allied air might.
The final battle for Rome might
not be long delayed. Newly-pre-
pared German defense lines along
which the Allied command predict
ed the enemy would make his last
stand before yielding the Eternal
City are roughly only seven miles
north of the beachhead perimeter.
Powerfully reinforced during the
past week, Allied men and armor
on the beachhead struck out saw
agely an hour before dawn in the
direction of Cisterna on the ancient
Appian Way. Daniel de Luce Of
the Associated Press wrote from
a forward field post:
Guns Blast Foxh0les
TRAINED especially with tanks
for the past month. the doughboys
swarmed across the flat, green no.
mans land in the wake of scores
Of Shermans, their guns blasting
German foxholes and weapon pits
at point-blank range. With a hea-
Wy advantage in armor and artil-
lery, the cooped up beachhead
troops went into battle vowing they
would fight through to Rome be-
fore they finished.
despite scattered clouds and
low mist which combined with the
smoke from guns and chemical
machines to reduce visibility 70
less than a mile, Allied planes
flew in at almost strafing height
to bomb the entrenched enemy
Cisterna is at about the center
of the beachhead perimeter and on
the Appian Way, main commune
cations route for all German forces
in the Terracina area When to-
days assault began Allied lines
were approximately mile and q
half from the town.