The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1944-04-07

! sources at their disposal.
They have been far short of the
to l superiority an attacking
force is supposed to have in four
major assaultS-the Americans
bloody failure to cross the Rapido
river, three miles south of Casino,
in mid January; the Americans
first thrust into Casino with IS
men and two tanks in early Feb
ruary; the New Zealanders' at
tempt to capture the Casino rail-
road station Feb. 10 with two COM
panies and the latest New Zealand
and Indian assaults on Casino.
On Feb. 8 the Allies came close
to capturing the Monte Casino
monastery, which would have cut
off the Germans and provided a
dominating height to fight from.
watched that attack from a dugout
400 yards from the Abbey and saw
Allied troops get with rs yards Of
the walls. If a French regiment
of infantry had been thrown into
the fight that night I believe the
mountain would have been taken.
The failure to provide more in
fantry for the latest attacks on
the town itself was partly the re-
suit of the high commands belief
the terrific bombardment would leave
the Germans in Casino dead or
"bomb happy" This was a tragic
mistake.
Part of the failure must be attrib-
uted to inaccurate bombing. I
watched the bombing for three and
one-half hours from Cervaro, two
miles from Casino and saw sticks
of bombs sown across the valley
and town and up the nearby noun
tains. Perhaps IS per cent hit the
city, mile long and two-thirds
of a mile wide. One stick OF COMBS
fell two miles from Casino and
another dropped from a Liberator
q mile behind my vantage point,
which 1 shared part of the time
with 1t. Gen. Mark w. Clark.
Pilots blamed these wild misses
on defective bomb racks.
Casino was turned into a caul-
dron of fire, smoke and rubble out
the Germans came up out OF tun,
nels to resist the infantry. Allied
intelligence apparently had not
considered the possibility of the
Germans utilizing the ancient tun-
nels under Casino, although the
Todt labor groups were known to
have been working in Casino as Tar
back as January. Some officers now
feel they should have guessed the
| tunnels were being incorporated In
Casinos defensive network.
The one thing the bombing has
done is to make the streets i'm
passable for armor. With the armor
stuck, Casino remains a job for
infantry and that's what the Allies
haven't had enough Of.
Robert Vermillion, Anzio beach
head-the beachhead South OF
Rome has been quiet for the past 80
days and everywhere in the 30
square miles ii American and Bril-
tish-held soil there Is an awareneSs
that the curving front Is likely to
expand in the direction of Rome.
Neither side holds the initiative at
the moment but the balance is so
delicate either may seize 1t with
brief preparation.
Both sides have powerful artil-
lery concentrations and arfnored
forces ready to Spearhead an al
tack.
This situation has prevailed since
the last German attack in March
between Carroceto and Cisterna,
which was beaten off with heavy
losses to the Germans in men and
armor and not without considerable
American casualties. Both sides
have repaired the damage and now
each waits for the others next
move. :. 49,.
Both sides have reached the
highest point of defensive strength.
The Germans are laying minefields,
stringing barbed wire and erecting
strong points all around the Allied
perimeter. The Allies also lie be-
hind wire and mines.
The beachhead commander is
confident the Anglo Americans can
withstand another attack as great
as the Germans launched in mid
February.
American soldiers on the beach,
head. fighting for the first time in
fiat land where movements by day
are suicide and by the bright Ital-
ian moon are almost equally dam
gerous, are becoming increasingly
"attack-minded." They are tired
o. lying all day In slit trenches or
crouching in foxholes exchanging a
few shots with the enemy or engag-
ing him in inconclusive combat
| patrol" action.
Desire To Attack
Many of the Allied soldiers ex-
press a desire to attack, take the
losses Eat one crack" and get
somewhere"
Clinton B. Conger, 9th Army
front since Montgomery San
gro offensive last November expired
two miles above Ortona with a
counter-attack by German para
troopers, the rain has kept the 9th
Army almost static in its Adriatic
coastal positions.
The only offensive action was
the New zealanderS' gallant but
unsuccessful charge against Or
sogna in December. The right flank
of the 9th faces almost insurmount-
able obstacles in series of river
crossings between its present line
and PeScara. To the southwest the
Germans are anchored to the snow
covered Maieln Mountains, ranging
from six to ten thousand feet high.
Frequent rains are melting the
guOWma but mud and mfrA skfll rule