Evening star., 1944-06-04
War Review
5th Army Takes Last
Nazi Strong Points
By Ho,pard p. Bailey

by III OfCafd T.. BAILEY.
The battle for Rome last week en-
tered its final phases and as tn
week ended Valmontone and Vel
letri, anchors of the crumbling Na7
line in the Alban Mountains over
looking Rome, fell before the viciou
onslaught of the American 5tl
Army, which has passed some mile
beyond each along the Via Casilin
and the Appian Way.
Rome, as of yesterday morning
was only 18 airline miles from tn
spearhead moving along the Appial
Way.
Another and even more importan
development of the week was tn
revelation of the establishment O
American air bases in Russia ant
the completion of the first shuttle
bombing raid on Balkan targets will
the American planes landing IL
Russia, refueling and rearming TO
the return presumably to Italial
bases.
The implications of this new CO.
operation are tremendous and the.
might even go so far as to cause tn,
Japanese, who have recently SHIFTED
scores of thousands of troops from
Manchukuo for a Knockout drive
in Central China to reconsider theil
present opinion as to the security
of their northern lines facing the
Russians.
Chinese Situation Serious.
The drive in China, incidentally
Is assuming serious proportions, but
elsewhere the war against the JAP
anese is going we'll for the Allied
side despite stubborn and costly re-
sistance to the expansion of the
bridgehead on Biak Island.
Signs of the crumbling of Ger
man resistance before Rome were
obvious on Monday when the 5th
Army, beating back German fame
throwers, drew within a mile oi
Valmontone on the eastern end oi
the line and similar distance from
Campoleone near the coast. At
that particular stage of the fierce
campaign which opened May II, 8
of the 18 German divisions engaged
in Italy had been practically elimi-
mated and the bag of prisoners,
especially youthful soldiers, had
reached $4,000
There was no doubt left in the
Allied mind about the stubbornness
of the Nazi fighter and pictures of
the ruins of Casino now being pub
lished in which the Germans held
out through many weeks of inten-
sive shelling and bombing testify
as to their tenacity.
Losses have been heavy on both
sides but the weight of Allied power
has become too overwhelming for the
Nazis to hold out much longer be-
low Rome.
Rome Sees Gun Flashes.
The steady progress in pushing
the center of the Nazi line back was
matched by an advance along the
coast by British elements serving in
the 5th Army while to the east the
British 9th moved slowly through
the hills. Other units advancing up
the Via Casilina captured Frosinone,
considerably south of the American
positions before Valmontone, and,
with the Americans, consolidating a
line which threatens to pin thou
sands of Germans back against the
hills from which they would have
small chance of escape.
Friday came the capture of Vel
letri and Valmontone which poised
the 5th Army, whose gun flashes
could be seen in Rome, for the drive
down the hills to the Italian capital.
Speculation still goes on whether
the city is to be defended or if the
Nazis will withdraw to lines to the
north, where another stand is
planned to slow the Allied advance.
Pope Plus on Friday showed great
concern over the possibility that
Rome might be attacked by declar-
ing that any one lifting a hand
against the Eternal City would
"have to bear grave responsibility
toward future generations" adding
that the attackers would be guilty of
matricide. He took occasion to cite
opinions of many that adherence to
the doctrine of complete victory
might serve to prolong the war. Ber-
lin reported the Nazi army has left
Rome.
German Jitters Grow.
Evidences of German jitterS in
creased during the week, first with
the statement over the Nazi-con-
trolled radio that the Allies have
Is divisions, largely French and
French Colonial, heavily armed and
supplied, in Africa, poised for an
invasion of Southern France. Later
III the week came another state
ment that large bodies of Allied
troops are being massed in the Near
East for an invasion from that di-
recticn. Such an invasion, the
Nazis predicted, would probably be
forerunner of an attack On the
West Wall.
The Nazi speculation revolved
around the possibility that Corsica.
only l03 miles from the French
mainland, might be the springboard
from which an assault on France
or the Italian Riviera, or both, might
be launched. The rapidly drying
plains Of Poland over. which Russian
mechanical might soon will be able
tn move and Secretary Stimson's
announcement that there are 3,657,-
900 men now overseas in various
theaters ready to strike in what are
expected TO be decisive actions in
no way served to calm Nazi fears
of the fate which soon may catch
up with them.
Fierce Air War.
The air warfare against the Nazis
was carried on with even greater
feroclty than ever last week with
attention especially given to aircraft
factories and transportation sys-
TENS.
Sunday saw the greatest number
OF planes to strike at Germany
smash objectives all the way from
the coast to Central Germany
where synthetic oil plants were the
special target. In all, 5000 planes