Evening star., 1944-03-19
Allies Gain in Ruins
OF Casino After Path
is Cleared for Tanks
Bombers Blast Germans
At Anzio; AirfieIds
In North Italy Hit
BY the Associated Press.

I
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS
NAPLES, Mar. 18.-Fifth Army
shock troops today inched from
lstone to stone through the
ruined houses of Casino against
Nazi divebombers, 70-millime-
ter cannon and small arms fire,
while Allied bombers attacked
German positions around the
edge of the Anzio beachhead
south of Rome and heavy bomb
erS slashed through enemy fight
ers to blast five airfelds in
Northern Italy.
The battle of Italy thus was in
three major sectors: The grim fight
for Casino and its environs; the
hour-by-hour Allied bombing of the
Germans near Anzio; and the heavy
onslaught against Nazi airdromes at
Udine, Villorba, Maniago, Livariano
and Gorilla in the northeast.
A group of British Gurkhas knife
welding fighters from the Hima-
layas, was marooned high up Mona
stery Hill, Associated Press Core
spondent Lynn Heinzerling radioed
from Casino tonight, and was be.
ing supplied by parachute from
Mustang fighter planes swooping
down low through small arms fire.
Slowly Pushing Nazis Out.
Fighting furiously from every
point of shattered masonry from
which guns could be brought to
bear, the Allied forces in Cassins
were slowly pushing the Germans
from the southwestern part of the
town in the area of the railroad sta
ton now held by the Allies.
Working without rest since
Wednesdays tremendous Allied air
attack, 5th Army engineers finally
cleared path through the rubble,
permitting tanks to move into DO
sition ahead of the infantry to
blast the remaining gun positions
and hidden Nazi strong points.
The strength of the enemy forces
remaining in Casino was difficult
to gauge. They were clinging to
leaves in the side of Mount Cassinc
to the west and southwest as well
as to sizable number of reinforced
concrete emplacements and broker
buildings in the fringe of the town
Enemy Clings to Abbey.
Eight German tanks and two anti
tank guns were in position on tn
heights about $50 yards south o
the town from where they were abl
to rain shells on the advancin;
troops and engage Allied artillery
Above the city to the west tn,
fighting was described as fluid b,
Allied headquarters. The enem,
still was clinging to the shattered
Benedictine Abbey on Mount Cas-
Sino.
New ZealanderS were in the thicl
Of the fighting in Casino In severe
sklrmishing for the possession O.
commanding heights, GurkhaS helc
firmly to the hills Immediately soutf
and to the west of Mount Casino
but lost another in the face of {
severe counterattack. Subsequent,
the enemy was driven from thi,
slope and at latest reports neither
side was in possession of it.
Official Allied reports said the at.
tack on the railroad station, tn,
j.. loss OF which was acknowledged b,
the Germans today, began Shortl,
before noon Yesterday, with tank
Iumbllng through the town owe
bridges hastily thrown over boml
craters. Pressing ahead despite tn,
efforts OF is German Focke- Wul
dive bombers to break up their as.
. sault, New Zealanders reached theil
objective by 2 pm.
The bombing Of the Germans be.
fore the AnZio beachhead followed
German air attacks for the thirc
night IN a row. On the ground yes.
terday Allied artillery and smal
arms fire broke up a threatened at.
tack by company of Germans or
Athe eastern portion of that front
~