The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-05-14
RESISTANCE GRIM
Take Seven Strategic Hills
AS They Smash Deep
er Into Front
FRENCH ADVANCE
U. S. Heavy Bombers Con-
centrate On Blasting
IA Rail Centers

ALLIED HEADQUAR-
TIERS, Naples, May 13-(R
Allied troops. on the often
sive in Italy smashed deeper
tonight into the heavily-forti-
fled Gustav line, increasing
the gains of two miles or
more that they had recorded
during the day but encounter
ing grim resistance from the
Germans in strong mountain
positions.
Exact locations Of the gains
could not be disclosed pending
tomorrow's daily communique, but
already the Allies hold at least
five villages and seven strategic
hills and were going ahead after
the close of the second day Of
their big push aimed at destroy
ing the Germans in Italy.
Americans, French, British and
Poles all were engaged in heavy
fighting.
French Advance
The French pressed forward
after occupying an important area
of high ground that commanded
the German stronghold of Castel-
forte.
ct was indicated but not def
nitely stated that Castelforte had
fallen. German broadcasts an
nounced it's evacuation, making
a total of six villages taken by
the Allies.)
A late dispatch from Associated
Press war correspondent Sid FEEDER
told of the spectacularly swift fall
of the village of Cosmo San Dam
iano to the American Fifth Army.
two miles beyond the Garigliano
river and six miles inland from
the Gulf of Gaeta, and one of the
penetration of the adjacent strong
hold of Castelforte.
British Eighth Army troops also
seized the village of SAINT Angelo
on the west bank of the Rapido
river, two and one-half miles south
of Casino, direct dispatches said.
The Germans scrambled out OF
Cosmo San Damiano so fast they
left food on tables erected in its
ruins. The Americans cornered 200
of them in a nearby cemetery
where 1--WE shot them down like
iackrabbits, FEEDER quoted the
victors as saying. Others surrend-
cred after being dug out of the
ruins of the hamlet.
AS the Yanks pressed on to
mountain ridge northeast OF the
village they could see other units
hammering their way into Castel-
forte, which has been called lit
tie Casino because Of two pre-
vious Allied failures to take it.
Congratulates French
French troops attached to the
Fifth Army swept on past their
original detectives, and 1t. Gen.
Mark w. Clark, commander of the
Fifth Army, congratulated Gen.
Alphonse JUN, the French COM
mander. "You are proving to an
anxiously awaiting France that
the French army has returned,
sacred to its finest fighting tradi-
tions," Clark told him.
U. S. heavy bonbers concentrate
ed on blasting IA rail centers in
what officially was termed "the
climatic phase of IAN operation
strangle' in the Allied air powers
plan to destroy supply lines through
which Hitler feeds the forces re-
sisting the new offensive of the
Fifth and Eighth armies"
Flying Fortresses attacked
bridges and yards on the Bremen
Pass route from Germany to Vero-
ma and the Pc valley network, in
GLIDING rail centers at Bolzano.
Bronzolo, and Trento, while Lib.
orators hammered yards between
the Apprentices and the Pc river.
Fortress crewmen expressed be-
lief that the Bremen Pass RAN
route main funnel for German
supplies to Nazi troops in Italy
had been cut by the bombing,
results of which were reported very
good at some points. Mediterran-
can airforce headquarters made
no official claim that the line
had been cut, however, presum-
ably awaiting reconnaissance re-
ports.
Grim fighting developed at
every point where the Allies made
Continued on Page Two; Col. 81