Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-01-02
5th Army Takes
; More Heights
On Rome Road
Canadian Speorheod
On Adriutic Drives
T owurd Pescuru
BY the Associated Press,

ALLIED HEADQUARTERS, AL
giers, Jan. 1.-American 5th
Army troops, fighting in driving
icy rains for control of the Cas-
sino road to Rome in the Jagged
hills east of San Vittorio, have
seized three more heights, it was
announced today, and the Ca
madam spearhead on the Adri-
attic coast has driven another
mile toward Pescara.
Headquarters also announced that
British raiders who penetrated be-
hind the German lines at the mouth
of the Garigliano River Wednesday
night had demolished an important
railway and highway bridge which
would have served the enemy for a
retreat to the Appian Way a few
hundred yards north of the river.
The commando tactics of the
British inflicted a number of cas-
ualties on the Germans and re-
suited in the capture of prisoners
who were brought back to the 5th
Army.
Nazis Resist Defiantly.
The communique called it a
daring raid" The headquarters of
Gen. Sir Harold Alexander, Allied
commander in Italy, gave no further
details.
The Flooding advances by the
Americans and Canadians were
made despite defiant German re-
sistance and almost intolerable
physical conditions. Miserable
weather begged the drive on the
ground and kept most Allied planes
out of the air.
The positions taken by the Ameri-
cans placed them about two miles
southwest Of Viticuso and approx
mately half a dozen miles from
Casino, the important road juno
ton 10 miles from Rome.
The status Of ruined San vittorio,
whose underground winecellars have
been used by the Germans to turn
the village into veritable hedge
hog, remained in doubt and Allied
headquarters had no confirmation
OF the capture of the heavily forti-
fled position at the base of Mount
Samucro, although the Bari radio,
controlled by the government of
Marshal Badoglio, announced yes
terday it had been taken by the
Americans.
Germans Hold Out in Caves.
Artillery fire demolished virtually
every building in the German
stronghold controlling the Via Cas-
sino, earlier in the week, but the
Nazis fought back fiercely from
caves and cellars with mortars and
machine guns.
The same fierce opposition was
being thrown against the Canadian
vanguard of the 9th Army striking
toward the port of Pescara on the
Adriatic.
Patrols Of French-speaking Ca
nadians managed to thread their
way through minefields, demolitions
and enemy outposts to reach points
on the Pescara River, behind which
the main German forces in that area
are concentrated, but the main Ca
nadlan units driving along the
coastal road from position 3 miles
beyond Ortona were slowed by de-
structive fire from entrencI1ed Nazi
positions overlooking the coast.
The determined delaying facts of
the enemy were also demonstrated
at San Tomasso, two miles west of
Ortona, where the 9th Army troops
had to crawl through a murderous
oarrage from SO millimeter guns in
order to recapture height which
they earlier had taken and then
lost.
The bad weather curtailed air
operations to limited attacks on rail
and motor transport and gun en-
placements in the vicinity of
Formia, Minturno and Guardiagrele,
all within the battle area.
Three Allied planes we're missing,
although two of the pilots were
safe.