The Wilmington morning star., 1944-02-14
INITIATIVE RECLAIMED
Allies Are Reinforced With
Fresh Troops; Situation
Satisfactory


giers, Feb 13-(P)-Allied troops
III the invasion bridgehead below
Rome have regained the initiative
III part at least from powerful
German forces pressing in upon
them, and are striking offensive
blows in a fierce see-saw strug-
gle.
Reinforced with fresh troops, the
Allies hammered at the Germans
near Carroceto ApriliO, and then
.hrew back German tank-sup-
ported. counterattack, headquarters
announced, and the overall situa-
ton on the bridgehead is "gener-
oily satisfactory"
This renewed surge of Allied
initiative conceded with confident
expressions by Allied command
ers that the battle for Rome would
succeed, and an order of the day
by Lt.-Gen. Mark w. Clark, Fifth
Army commander, that the chance
lad come to hand the Nazis
great defeat.
Assault In Sun
The Allied command announced
that it might be necessary to as.
sault the Benedictine abbey atop
Mt. Casino because the Germans
had turned it into a fortress, but
there was no evidence that Ameri.
can or British troops had yet at.
tackled the massive structure domi.
mating the Casino battlefield.
(The Nazi-controlled Rome radio
asserted in a broadcast recorded
by CHS that ALLIED artillery has
begun an intensive bombardment
Of the monastery.')
A dispatch written at the Cas-
sino battlefront at 6:45 p. M, Sum-
day by Lynn Heinzerling, Asso-
ciated Press war correspondent,
featured the declaration of three
pattle-weary infantrymen that
they ought to wipe that monas-
terry off the hill' to eliminate the
German observers and gunners
shielded by its walls.
FOrtreSses Strike
Allied planes, including Flying
Fortresses and Liberators ordinar-
lily reserved for long range strate-
gic work except at times when the
ground forces are in need of all
available support, struck new and
heavy blows again yesterday just
behind Nazi lines around the
bridgehead.
The main clash on the Carroceto
sector opened Saturday with an
Allied attack making local gains
in the so-called factory area of
Carroceto. The Germans counter
attacked with armor including
flame thrower tanks, but were
turned back with two tanks lost.
The food-processing factory there
changed hands three times, head
quarters said, and thus was pre-
sumably in Allied hands.
New StrongpOints
American troops in the Casino
area to the east Wrested new
strongpoints from the Germans
inside the town, and two miles to
the west of Casino seized 1900
foot hill, kncking back Nazi
counter thrust.
The Germans still are resisting
tiercely on Mt. Casino, dominat-
ing the town from the northwest
and the corridor leading to it, and
headquarters announced the Nazls
had converted the famous monas-
terry GROWING the hill into fort
ress, firing on U. S. forces a few
hundred yards away.
Headquarters declared that so
far the Allies had tried to observe
a Vatican request to spare the
historic abbey, but that if the Ger
mans continued to use it as a
strongpoint, means would have to
be taken to knock them out OF 1t.
Prisoners Taken
More prisoners taken in the Cas-.
sjno area included men of the
German first parachute division
last reported facing the British
army on the Adriatic sector. Ap
r-arently part of this division ha:
been shifted to the Fifth Army
'front.' to strengthen the Germans
Continued on Page Three; Col. Il