The Wilmington morning star., 1944-01-25
A DESPERATE GAMBLE
German Troops Attempting
To Repair Epic Staff
Blunder

ALLIED HEADQUARTERS, Al.
giers, Jan. 24.-GP)-The most pow
erful German army ever massed
in Italy lashed savagely at Allied
positions along the main Fifth ar
my front today in an effort to
repair the epic staff blunder that
permitted American and British
troops to land almost unopposed
near Rome on Saturday.
The Nazi high command evident
ly hoped to deal a devastating
blow to 1t. Gen. Mark w. Clark's
forces on the Casino front and
then to turn and smash the am
phibious force back into the sea.
It appeared to be a desperate
gamble. as Allied landing troops
were officially disclosed to have
captured the port of Nettuno, 80
miles south of Rome, and to have
driven four miles inland. This
brought the Appian Way, main
coastal highway between Rome
and the Germans southern front,
within effective range Of Allied ar
tillery.
Gen. Sir Henry Maitland Wilson,
Allied commander-in-chief for the
Mediterranean. called the amphi-
bious operation "classicar' but
warned that the Germans still
might counters ttack with great
ferocity, saying "it is more than
possible that you will see repeti-
ton of Salerno over again."
At an advanced headquarters in
Italy, Maitland Wilson said the
present beachheads. however, were
much nearer to air cover and the
main Allied forces than were those
at Salerno and that as an alterna-
tive to counter-attack the Germans
might content themselves with
building up series of 'hedgehog'
Notifications to protect their posi-
tons.
The German radio reported AL
lied troops had been encountered
northwest of Nettuno, somewhere
between that port and the mouth
of the Tiber River, 16 miles from
the heart of Rome.
(The Morocco radio, quoting a
German report, said tonight the al
lies had captured Littoria, about
20 miles south of Rome and IL
miles due east of Nettuno. Littoria
is the site of a great Rome air.
port The broadcast, recorded by
Reuters, was not confirmed by any
other source.)
Field Marshal Albert Kesselring
threw nine divisions, representing
an estimated 100000 men, against
the Allies along a 30-mile line
running from SAINT Ella, four miles
northeast Of Casino, to the TYR
henian sea. Three of them were
crack armored grenadier divisions,
re-eauipped and fresh after a long
rest in the Rome area.
American troops who had cross
ed the Rapido River below Cassi.
no on Saturday against stiff resist
ance bore the brunt of. the Nazi
hammer blow. So great were the
German barrages laid on the river
over which Yank engineers had
thrown bridges that the greatest
difficulty was encountered in NOV
ing supplies to American forces
across the stream.
These troops. graphing at close
range with the Germans entrench.
ed in caves, pillboxes and fortifi.
cations few hundred yards from
the river bank, fought desperately
for hours until they ran out of am
munition. Then they were COM
PEELED to fall back across the riv.
err, and as they did so the Nazis
opened fierce counter-attack.
American rear guards, after
spending their ammunition, held
the charging Germans back at bay
onet point while the greater part of
the force withdrew to the east side
of the Rapido. Reports from the
front indicated that some of the
grimmest fighting of the Italian
campaign took place in this &C.
ton.
In the coastal area the Germans
waged other strong counterattacks
against bridgeheads the British
have established across the Garig.
llano river, but failed to dislodge
them. In the SAINT Ella sector
some Is miles inland they likewise
smashed at the French, who, how.
Continued on Page Two; Col. 81