Evening star., 1944-02-05
Italy
Continued From First Page.)

Of all combat, with the odds on the
defenders. The attackers must have
the highest tenacity to overcome
enemy resistance"
GA British broadcast recorded
by CHS said American guns
alone have fired 5000 shells at
Casino in the past two days"
(Another British broadcast.
also recorded by CHS, said "a
strange sight among all the de-
struction (around Cassino) is the
great monastery of Monte Cas-
sino, on high peak outside the
town"
1--WE are most carefully avoid
Ing sending shells anywhere near
it, though reports from our pilots
and from prisoners and refugees
all suggest that the Germans are
using it as an observation point
If not as a gun position" the
broadcast added.
(St. Benedict established the
famed monastery in 529 ADJ
Describing the battlefield below
Rome as the kind of terrain on
which the great battles of the
World War were fought. Homer
Bigart, New York Herald corre-
spondent representing the COM
bined American Press, noted that
there are no great natural defen-
sive positions which the Germans
utilized so cleverly with relatively
small forces in Southern Italy"
The enemy must commit masses
OF infantry" Mr.. Bigart said. If
this was the objective Of the Allied
landings. it has certainly succeeded
for the latium adventure has sucked
into this area many enemy reserves" 4"
The fighting at the beachhead
night and yesterday was
so confused that 100 British troops
encircled and captured by the Ger
mans were freed later by another
group of British soldiers who then
took the Germans prisoner.
A British soldier named Peter
O'Shea said: Il didn't know which
way by hat was on. First 1 was
taken prisoner. Then l take my
captors prisoner"
80 Prisoners Captured.
The Allies yesterday took 80 pris-
oners in the beachhead fighting
bringing the total captured there
since the landings two weeks ago to
l 500. The total number of Ger
mans captured in Italy since the
invasion of the continent started in
Calabria September 3. l943, is now
over 10000, Allied headquarters an
Front dispatches said the sector
around Cisterna, vital rail and high
way town 26 miles southeast OF
Rome. was quiet yesterday after
several days Of heavy fighting
Within sight of the American lines
the Germans were said to be prepar-
ing defenses along the railroad
skirting Cisterna on the south.
Along the west bank OF the Carl
gllano, British troops seized 1900
foot Mount Ornito. 3 miles northeast
OF Castelforte, and took IS prisoners
On the 9th Army front, along the
Adrlatic. a German patrol was am
pushed and shot up north of Cree
chic, about S miles northeast of Or
sogna. A German sabotage patrol
consisting of an officer and five men
who entered Allied territory to blow
up bridge near Casoli was captured
intact.
Although inclement weather again
lnterfered with air operations. Flv-
ing Fortresses struck into Southern
France and blasted the big naval
base at Toulon and railway facilities
in the vicinity of Cannes.
Lighter planes Of the Allied Air
Force bombed and strafed enemy
concentrations and traffic between
the Casino front and the beach
head below Rome, bombed a factory
at Pescara on the Adriatic coast and
carried out other missions, includ-
Ing sweep against shipping along
the Yugoslav coast. A small warship
was hit by Raj Kittyhawks at ST.
benik.
Six German planes were DESTROYED
against a loss of three Allied air.
craft.