Evening star., 1944-06-10
Allies Announce
Catastrophe 10
Nazis in Italy
German 14th Army
Fleeing North in
Increasing Disorder
BY the Associated Press,

Increasing Disorder
By the Associated Press.
ROME, June 10.-The German
14th Army fled northward today
with increasing disorder, and
the Allied command for the first
time declared officially that a
catastrophe" has befallen Mar
shall Albert Kesselring's forces in
Italy.
Slashing steadily northward after
the retreating foe, the 5th Army
captured the ancient town of Tus-
cania, 13 miles northeast of Tar
quinia.
Despite the great speed of 1t. Gen.
Mark w. Clark's pursuing troops,
which have averaged Is miles daily
since the fall of Rome, an official
spokesman declared they are 'un-
able to catch up with any important
elements of Col. Gen. Eberhard Won
Mackensen's 14th Army, which is
withdrawing in this area in a COM
pletely disorganized fashion"
The British 9th Army also picked
up speed in its i1ortward advance
near the Adriatic.
Peril to 10th Army.
Gen. Won Mackensen's. fight was
considered a peril to the Nazi 10th
Army, whose withdrawal northward
on the east side of the Tiber has
been slower and more orderly, due
largely to demolitions, mine fields
and the mountainous terrain which
made pursuit by the 9th Army diff
cult.
East of the Tiber River the Ger
man 10th Army is robbed Of the
support of its sister army and now
has to provide, out of its own means,
flank protection against the threat
represented by the Allied advance
to the Viterbo area" the spokesman
said.
Here, too, there Is considerable
disorganization noted and prison.
ers recently taken include cooks,
butchers, bakers, some no more than
IA years old.
Losses in the 10th Army con-
tinue heavy and the Hermann
Goering Division in particular has
been reduced to a strength COM
parable with that with which it
struggled back from Sicily"
Fans Out on Broad Front.
With the taking of Tuscania, Tar
quinia and Vetralla, the 5th Army
now has famed out on a broad
front more than SO miles to the
northwest from Rome, and at the
same time has stabbed at least 40
miles north of the capital in a drive
beyond Veterbo, provincial capital
and communications center which
was a medieval rival to Rome.
The 9th Army captured Moricone,
ii miles north of Tivoli and Arsoli,
9 miles northwest of Subiaco.
In the Adriatic sector 9th Army
units moved steadily forward to
maintain contact with the with
drawing enemy, advancing as much
as five miles. The battered towns
of Orsogna and Guardiagrele, as
we'll as Miglionico and Filetto, were
occupied and the River Foro crossed
The Germans left Guardiagrele
in flames, then shelled the ruins to
delay occupation.
The continued decentralization OF
Marshal Kesselring's badly reduced
forces was due in a large measure
to the Allied air onslaughts. Medi-
terranean Army Air Force fighter
bombers yesterday were credited Of
ficially with destroying 246 motor
vehicles and 300 rail cars, damaging
$50 vehicles and 100 rail cars ano
knocking out great numbers OF
horsedraWn carts.
Stragglers Picked Up.
Celebrating on the catastrophe
that has befallen the German arm
les in Italy, an official spokesman
said 1--WE continue to pick up strag-
glers and deserters from all manner
of units adding that the only ord
erly unit encountered in the last
few days has been the Goth Luft-
waite Field Division which was sent
hastily from Denmark.
Meanwhile, inroadS were made or
the German Air Force.
Thirty-four enemy planes were
shot down by more than 500 heavy
bombers. The MAAF lost % planes
including Is heavies.
Despite cloudy conditions the
bombers hit buildings and barracks
at the Riem airdrome, east OF
Munich, as we'll as the city's indus
trial area. Railyards and lines
toward Augsburg and Ingolstadt also
were battered.
Other American heavies set fire
to at least two oil tanks and dam
aged a refinery at Porto Marghera
near Venice. The aluminium works
also was damaged
Last night RAF bombers blasted
the Trieste refinery, which in peace
time refined Is per cent of Italy's
oil.