Evening star., 1944-05-29
5th Army Drives on 4 Key Points
South Of Rome in Fierce Fighting;
Three Nazi Divisions Wiped Out
Curroceto Seized:
Troops Only Mile
From Vulmontone
BULLETIN.

ALLIED HEADQUARTERS
R.-American tanks have
struck to the slopes of the
Alban Hills, less than 16 miles
from Rome's outskirts, and
are attacking German mobile
strongpoints of armor, artil-
lery and infantry, a front
dispatch said today.
MAP on Page A-5.)
Hy the Associated Press.
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS,
Naples, May 29.-Fifth Army
troops storfned toward four
Rome line strongholds against
fierce resistance today, thrust
ing one wedge to within II miles
of the Eternal City.
Headquarters declared 8 of 1S
German divisions engaged in battle
had been virtually destroyed in the
broad offensive launched May II,
with more than $4,000 prisoners
taken.
Overwhelming Carroceto (Aprilia)
once bitterly contested beachhead
fortress, the 5th Army drove north
to within a mile of Compoleone-
the closest penetration toward
Rome. Compoleone is about 16 miles
from Rome. To the east the 5th
yv,,xy q I,,onoad to v.,ifl,;,, /, villa IF
Valmontone, on the shell-torn Via
Casilina, despite flame-throwing
German counterassaults.
CThe Algiers radio today
quoted a French war CORE
spondent as saying the Germans
were "groggy aud reeling," and
that a great Allied victory is in
the making as the enemy 'is
disengaging along the whole
front.")
Shells Pound Via Casilina.
Steady artillery fire was pumped
onto the Via Casilina, main escape
route for eight German divisions
being forced back on the front to
the southeast.
In between on the Campoleone-
valmontone line, other forces fought
in the outskirts of velletri on the
Appian Way, and closed on Lam
uvio, miles to- the southwest,
where the Alban Hills begin to
rise from the Pontine Plain.
Artena, two miles south of VOL
montone, has been captured, it was
announced yesterday.
Despite several sharp German
counterattacks, the Americans are
advancing slowly in the direction
of Rome" a battlefront dispatch
from Associated Press Correspond
ent Edward Kennedy said.
Meanwhile, the British 9th Army
in the Liri and Sacco Valleys to the
southeast pushed ahead, breaking
down German rear-guard stands.
More Towns Occupied.
AS the sound of the great battle
rolled into Rome, the enemy in the
mountains southeast of Valmon-
tone was driven out of the towns of
Sermoneta and Bassiano, below
Norma, which was overwhelmed yes
terday. Snipers still were active in
the hills beyond this area and 5th
Army patrols were mopping them up
In its northward drive the 5th
Army slashed across two of the Bit
terest backgrounds of the beach
head fights of last February. Mean
while, French forces followed uI
their seizure of Vile Santo Stefano
by taking off northward through the
hills toward the Liri Valley, making
only casual contact with the enemy
and capturing Monte Siserno, 2,40C
feet high.
To the north, in the area of Arce
at the junction of the Via Casilina
and Highway 80, they surrounded
the towering Monte Oreo, dominat-
ing Arce, and surrounded Sante
Padre, Az miles to the northeast.
Stubborn Resistance.
From the beachhead, 5th Army
troops met stubborn resistance every
inch of the way in their drive tt
crack the Anzio- Albano highway
down which the Germans poured
vicious attacks last February, anc
past the Carroceto highway, railroad
and factory area, scene of much Of
the bloodiest fighting since the
beachhead was established.
Allied forces pounding to within
q mile and a half of Ianuyio ran
into some of the most determined
counterattacks the enemy has
launched thus far. The Germans
threw everything they had into
these counterthrusts, including
fame -throwers.
A prisoner of war said the Ger
mans had used tanks as artillery in
recent fighting, digging them ir
where they were offered the besr
(See ITALY, Page A-5J