The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-05-13
ALL OUT OFFENSIVE
Allies Blocked Some By
Furious Resistance of
German Forces

"A II IL L. - I1GAD<2 " an GnSs
Naples, Saturday, May 10. -(P)-
The Allied Fifth and Eighth armies
punched out gains as deep as two
and three miles yesterday on the
first day of an about offensive
officially described as the first "of
the final battles" to destroy the
Germans, it was learned early to-
day.
At other points Of the strongly
fortified Gustav Line the Allies
were blocked by furious resistance
after launching their big push at
II o'clock Thursday night on a
blazing 25-mile front from Casino
to the Gulf of Gaeta.
Sharp German counter-attaD ks in
some instances also eliminaN ID in
itlal Allied gains.
The exact localities where the
Allies penetrated from two or three
miles could not be divulged pend
ing an official announcement.
Allied fighter gave close
support all day to the attacking
men Of many nationalities, and
ABS dive-bombers scored hits on
an important German post
The Allied command, recalling
umfavorable results of its early OPP
tlmism on previous thrusts in Italy,
contented itself with the bare de-
claration that the attack had be-
gun, but the top commanders blunt
ly stated that their aim was to de-
s1roy the German armies in Italy
and they confidently predicted sue
cess.
Doughboys Of many nationalities
surged forward under an unpreced-
ented aerial cover and with sup
port Of the greatest artillery bar
rage ever loosed in the Mediter-
ranean area.
The Germans resisted strongly
on all sectors in furious fighting
with both sides employing every
weapon Of modern ground war
fare. But by last night the Allies
had gained initial detectives at
some points and at one spot had
a v n e d approximately 1000
yards.
The Fifth and Eighth armies,
completely regrouped since the
bloody and indecisive battle of
Casino two months ago, struck
together.
AS for the relation OF the often
sive to the general war against
Hitlerdom, Gen. Sir Harold L.
Alexander, the Allied commander,
declared in an order of the day to
his troops that the assault was the
first blow of ''final battles on sea,
on land and in the air to crush the
enemy once and for all"
"From east and west, from north
and SOUTH" he added, blows are
about to fall which will result in
the final destruction of the Nazis
and bring freedom once again to
Europe and hasten the peace for
us all.
"We are going to destroy the
German armies in Italy," he said.
but added that ''the fighting will
be hard, bitter and perhaps long"
1t. Gen Mark w. Clark, herald
ing what may prove the decisive
blow of the Italian campaign, told
his Fifth Army troops in an order
of the day that he was confident
I'VE can and will destroy the Ger
man armies
"You have placed the enemy in
his present distressing position OF
trying hopelessly to hold back Al
lied forces which he knows will
eventually overrun him from two
directions," Gen. Clark said.
The Germans recovered from the
earth shaking barrage that ac-
companied the attack-some Of it
from American 240 millimeter guns
firing 350-pound projectiles. The
Nazis used flame-throwers at many
points and counter alta cked sharp
ly as opportunity offered. Allied
officers appeared satisfied, how
ever, with early results.
Starting with the first streaks
of dawn, Allied warplanes in re-
cord numbers joined the assault
and took almost complete control
Continued on Page Five; Col. A.