The Wilmington morning star., 1944-06-04
U. S. RACES THROUGH
APPROACHES TO ROME
CONTINUED from Page One)

Saturday and continued towards
Rome on that route.
Fifth Army fighters smashed
apart the Germans last noun
famous positions guarding Rome
by Selling most of the Alban hills
mass dominating the capital on
the south. Descent from the hills
would put them within ten miles
of Rome's outskirts.
The Berlin radio broadcast that
Rome now was free of armed
forces" indicating the possibility
that the city might not be defend
ed.
Allied headquarters already
had announced that if the Ger
mans chose to fight for Rome.
the Allies will be obliged to
take appropriate military meas
ures to eject Them
Tonight the Allied command
broadcast over the free Italian
radio at Naples to Italian parti-
Gan forces inside Rome, declar-
ing "Rome's liberation is at hand"
and apprising them of their duty
to locate mines and BOBBY traps
which the Germans might leave
behind and to prevent German
sabotage.
Fierce fighting continued tonight
in the Alban hills, also known as
the Coli Laziali mountain mass,
az the Germans struggled despe.
rately to hold off smashing at
tacks which every hour threat
ened more and more to engult
their defenses and send the Fifth
Army surging down the last few
miles to Rome.
The newest breakthrough, cat
ching the Germans by sur
prise, jeopardized the entire Nazi
position between the Alban hills
and the seacoast, apparently leav-
ing the Germans guarding the
Appian way to Rome faced with
alternatives of fleeing or remain
ing to fight while the retreat route
might easily be cut from behind
them.
Although the Allied progress
was being maintained tonight, it
was problematical just how large
number of the wearying Ger
man army would be added to the
10000 already in the Allied pris-
oner bag in the Notwithstanding
moose the British, French and
Americans were throwing around
the area.
Ripping the enemy fortress wall
from Valmontone to Velletri and
beyond, the doughboys seized vi
tai peaks dominating the ap-
proaches to the Italian capital,
lesc than 20 miles away. The drive
was accompanied by twin smash
es westward from the captured
strongholds OF Valmontone and
Velletri on the direct roads to the
city, and from one end to the
other the final enemy defenses
before the Eternal City seemed
to be crumbling.
Fifth Army troops also ad-
vanced to within IA miles of
Rome, from Tmcastellacio, six
miles north of Velletri.
Yard by yard the Americans
punched their way through the
stubborn defenses. One of these
smashes tore through the power.
fully held and bitterly defended
town of Lanuvio, four milec west
OF Velletri and sixteen miles from
Rome. after several days of blaz-
ing battle. Another overwhelmed
the village of Labico on the Via
Casilina, two miles closer to
Rome than Valmontone.
AS for Rome itself, the German
propaganda agency Transocean
today quoted foreign office
spokesman in Berlin as saying the
city was free of armed forces, -
although Allied commanders are
considering the possibility that
the Nazis may put up fight right
to the gates of the capital if they
are unable to withdraw their
troops from the path of the Fifth
Army steamroller.
AT the same time the Allied
high command warned the Ger
mans fatty today that if they
chose to fight it out in Rome, the
Allies will be "obliged to take