Evening star., 1944-03-02
Germans Hurled Back
In Fierce Encounter;
Admit Breokthrouqh
BULLETINS.
LONDON (P).-The Vat
ican radio said today that
bombs were dropped in
Vatican. City last night.

ALLIED HEADQUARTERS,
Naples R.-American Flying
\ FortresseS and Liberators
smashed heavily at Nazi troop
concentrations in the Anzio
beachhead area today, rain
ing thousands of fragmenta-
ton bombs on enemy forces.
BY the Associated Press.
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS,
Naples, Mar. American
troops, fighting fiercely against a
German attack by three divi-
sions of possibly $4,000 men on
the center of the Anzio beach
head defense lines, have thrown
the enemy back 1000 yards and
are still making progress, it was
announced today.
The Germans, however, were said
to be resisting strongly near a road
junction slightly south of the mid
way point between Carroceto and
Cisterna after having lost two thirds
of the ground they gained Tuesday
in the early stages of their assault,
apparently their third all-out effort
to wipe out the beachhead.
CToday'S German communique
said the Allies at several points
broke into "our advanced posi-
tions gained on previous days"
and described "f1uctuating fight
ing" south and southwest of
Cisterna.
Cat his press conference this
morning Secretary of War Stim-
son said it was doubtful"
whether the Germans full
strength had been exerted against
the beachheadD
More than 500 German prisoners
have been taken in the battle in
which the Germans rammed Mark
Nv and Tiger tanks at the Allies
lines under heavy artillery fire from
both sides.
Heaviest Artillery Fire.
A dispatch sent from the beach,
head last night by Associated Press
Correspondent Edward Kennedy
quoted the doughboys as saying the
battle was the stiffest they had yet
encountered and that the enemy
artillery fire was the heaviest laid on
them since the beachhead was es-
tabliShed. Mr.. Kennedy said the sit
uation was well in hand at that
moment.
German Marshal Albert Kessel-
rings forces launched their attack
Tuesday morning along a thousand
yard front almost in the middle of
the 10-nile stretch between Caro-
ceto and Cisterna.
The enemy threw two battalions
supported by tanks, into the initial
phase, with American forces bearing
the brunt of the attack. BY late
afternoon three German divisions
were plunging against the Allied
lines.
The Nazis broke through to q
depth of about $500 yards, but the
rest of the Allied lines stood firm
against pressure exerted all around
the American-British defense peri
meter. American troops launched
a counterattack Tuesday night and
up to noon yesterday had won back
1000 yards.
Fields Are a Quagmire.
In the opening hours of the attack
German infantry rode tanks into
battle and helped lift Allied mines
A steady rain, however. turned open
fields into a quagmire and forced
the tanks to stay on the highways.
The Germans were given only
minor support by their airmen. Spit
fires shot down three Focke-Wulfe
1905 out of six over the beachhead
yesterday. A Junkers 88 was shot
down Tuesday night, ,over Anzio. No
German planes appeared yesterday
American WarhaWks bombed Ger
mant front line positions yesterday
and other Warhawks and Spitfires
cut to the rear, hitting other targets
British Wellingtons were thrown
into the fray last night, dropping
blockbusters and hitting troop con-
centrations with augmentation
bombs. All returned safely.
Nazi Tanks Knocked Out.
Allied artillery was credited with
prime role in breaking up the
main enemy attacks which centered
on a line running roughly from
Isolabella through Ponte Rotto tc
Digaribaldi-all south and west OF
Cisterna. Heavy fire from the bic
guns knocked out several German
tanks near Ponte Rotto.
The Germans constantly shelled
the Allied port areas during the
height of the attack Tuesday.
Allied artillery broke up small
scale German diversionary attack
Tuesday about 2 miles due south o1
Cisterna and total of Ill prisoners
including four officers, were taken
An Allied counterblow wiped out
small enemy gains. In the same
general area, southwest of Littoria
Allied troops took more than 20 pris-
oners from a Nazi patrol of 80 tc
SO men.
Successful Encounters.
In the gullies and caves of the
Upper Moletta River sector south
west of Carroceto, British troops still
are engaging the Germans in sue
cessful encounters, it was an
nounced. There a British tank
force, piercing the German lines al
dawn Tuesday, entered small set
tlement, shot up an enemy platoon
then retired.
Only minor patrol actions oc-
CURED on the Casino and 9th Army
fronts
The weather limited air operations
sharply, but the persistent hammer
ing the enemy was kept up else
where besides the beachhead. Raj
Bostons bombed rail installations
south of Rome Tuesday night and
desert air force Spitf1res attacked
enemy shipping off the Dalmatian
coast yesterday, setting several small
vessels afire.
r