Evening star., 1944-02-19
Allies Smash NewAnz Assaults
Deal Heavy Casualties to Nazis;
U.S.. Invaders Battle for Eniwetok
Lines Holding
Against Blows
By4 Divisions
Ey the Associated Press.

ES the Assoclaten Press.
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS
Naples, Feb. 19.-Allied forces
are holding their lines intact on
the Anzio beachhead after
smashing back attacks by four
full German divisions-40,000 to
10000 men-in the strongest
Nazi counterblows yet delivered,
Allied headquarters announced
today.
GA dispatch from Daniel de
Luce, Associated Press CORE
spondent in the bridgehead, at
noon today said The German
offensive, renewed with even
greater force than ever, was being
held. and that American infantry
and tanks had retaken ground
during two hours fighting for
which the Germans paid heavy
price the day before)
The 5th Army on the Casino
front to the east, reinforced by New
Zealand and Indian troops, tight
ened q ring on that German bastion
from the northeast, northwest and
south, winning a height west of
Mount Casino and reaching the
railway station south of the town
after throwing $4,000 shells into the
ruined stronghold.
The powerful Nazi assault below
Rome knocked a hole in the Allied
line near Carroceto (Aprilia) 10
miles above AnZio, but 5th Army
tanks and infantry struck back in
several successful local counterat-
tacks, causing heavy casualties to
the enemy" and making some prog
reSS.
A dispatch from the beachhead
last night said the Nazis already
had lost thousands of killed and
wounded.
Greatest German Attack.
An Allied officer declared that
unlike previous enemy attacks, this
is obviously the fullest-scale effort
to throw the Allied forces back into
the sea-
Front dispatches said the Ger
mans were attacking with even
greater fury today and that Allied
troops we're defending their lines in
the grimmest fighting. The Ger
mans were spraying the whole area
with shellfire.
(Today's German communique,
broadcast by Berlin, said the
Nazis had advanced 212 miles
south of Carroceto, or within 7l2
miles of Anzio. The Germans
claimed they were still holding
the Casino railroad station, but
the Aligers radio said Allied
troops had occupied it,
The beachhead battle-which may
be one of the most decisive of the
War-apparently was in it's crucial
stage.
Marshal Albert Kesselring was
counterattacking with units drawn
from all over Europe, throwing in the
full weight of his force without re-
gard to costs.
Four NaZi Divisions in Battle.
At least four divisions. including
the Sd Armored Grenadiers. were
trying to smash straight through to
Anzio, Allied nerve center on the
beachhead, while other units
brought pressure all along the
perimeter.
Withering 5th Army fire took a
heavy toll of the attackers, which
also included the Hath and 75Oth
Motorized Divisions and 65th Ger
man Infantry. Allied warships and
planes aided the defense.
The opposing forces fought des-
perately at close range on fiat ter
rain with few natural shelters.
The strength and energy of we'll
armed British force on the beach,
head is concentrated at present on
holding on to the strip until the
German offensive has spent itself
lnf1lcting the heaviest possible cas-
ualties while doing so.
CA dispatch to London from
the 5th Army beachhead said
Marshal Kesselring had visited
German forces there, bringing
orders from Hitler that the
beachhead be wiped out and i'm
posing time limit for its liquida-
tionD
Heavy Artillery Fire.
German artillery fire on the Anzio
front has been heavier and more
sustained than of any other battle
IN which American troops partici-
pated in North Africa, Sicily or Italy.
said a dispatch from Correspondent
Luce.
He reported the Germans were
(See ITALY, Page A-2.)
British Heavy Bombers