Evening star., 1944-02-12
Allied Warships Help
Turn Back New Nazi
Assault ON beachhead
Continued From First Page.)

NNOIltlIlQcQ TTOIll FlTSL HdKe.)
9th Army front two enemy patrol:
were driven back in the Orsogns
area.
Bal weather retarded shipping op
erations, but movement Of reinforce
ments and supplies to the invasion
beachhead continued. A long periot
of good weather after the first land
ings enabled the Allies to build w
adequate supply bases there with {
comfortable margin, it was stated.
The fact that no German attack!
Of great intensity or extent were
launched on the beachhead yester.
day may have resulted from the ter.
rife Allied air blows on the previou.
morning before bad weather forced
a cancellation Of many sorties.
1t also is possible the Germans al
ready may have spent their offensive
strength against the beachhead, ano
must regroup before undertaking a
major drive.
While they have been hammering
repeatedly for the last week and
many of their thrusts were vigorous
and hard to cope with, they have
not yet made any general onslaught
to drive the 5th Army into the sea.
While the position of beachhead
troops admittedly was difficult
holding terrain with few natural de-
fenses against more powerful Ger
man force-there was reason to be-
lieve they not only would hold, but
eventually, after the Germans spend
themselves in repeated attacks
would drive the enemy out of the
area.
There also was a good prospect
that the 5th Army force in the Cas-
sino area will break through and
join the bridgehead troops.
But no speedy victory was in sight
The outlook rather was one OF a
hard, costly, and prolonged fight
that will push the Germans from
Central Italy barring some wholly
unanticipated bad break.
This battle for Rome is far from
being an isolated operation, but is
linked closely with the whole Eu-
ropean war 1t is, in fact, the Allies
winter campaign against the Ger
mans.
Tied In With Channel Plans.
This southern offensive also is tied
with whatever attack may. come
across the English Channel in the
spring. In distracting the Germans
from thei1 preparations to meet the
Channel threat and by draining
their strength, it may be a decided
factor in the outcome of coming
western front operations.
(The British radio, quoting re-
ports from the beachhead front,
said early today that Allied
troops advanced slightly at two
points in the Carroceo (Aprilia)
area, gaining possession of "a
useful road network and a
bridgehead across a fast stream
in sectors where the German
counterattacks have been strong
est" The broadcast was recorded
by CBS)
A dispatch from Norman Clark,
representing the combined British
press, said Allied troops returned to
the attack yesterday morning and
ARE fighting again in the area of
the battle-scarred red brick build
ings of Carroceto." He added that
the Germans were defying calls to
surrender and were only being oust-
ed "by the grenade and bayonet."
(The Germa ans yesterday
claimed the capture of the Car
roceto railroad station.
Yves Gallagher, Associated Press
war correspondent, wrote from Lon
don yesterday that the use of Amer
ican Flying Fortresses and Liberia
tors for close support of the ground
troops on the beachhead was a clear
indication that q crisis had been
reached. He noted that the Allies
had sent in the heavy bombers only
twice before in the Mediterranean
war, the first time at Kaserine Pass
after a serious defeat in Southern
Tunisia, and the second time at the
most critical stage of the battle of
Salerno.
Mr.. Gallagher observed that if the
Germans could force the Allies into
a Dunkerque at Anzio they would
give the defenders of the Atlantic
wall, awaiting invasion from the
west, tremendous boost in morale,
enabling them to enter the battle
of the western front with high conf
dence.