The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-05-31

warned in his daily communique:
ut Is now evident that the enemy
intends to hold this line at all cost"
American tanks and tank destroy
erS made the deepest penetration Of
the enemy line when they rumbled
right up in front" Of Genzano, Is
miles south Of Rome, and Lanuvio,
two miles farther south, and began
pouring shells into the two towns
on the southwest slopes Of the AL
ban Hills Reynolds Packard, United
Press War Correspondent, reported
from the front.
American infantry advanced on
both sides Of Genzano and Lanuvio
and also imperiled Albano, only Is
miles from Rome and probably the
key to the Valmontone- Campo Je-
mini line, Packard said. The Ger
mans answered the American fire
with their own heaviest lombard
ment since the start Of the Allied
offensive.
Troop and tanks assaulting Lam
uvio entered the outskirts Of Villa
Crocetta, a cluster Of ruined build
ings just outside the own.
Heavy Fighting
(Radio Berlin said the battle had
reached the gates Of Rome" and
CHS broadcast from Madrid report
ed some Germans already were
evacuating the capital after clean
ing OUT all available food and mer-
chandise in stores. A Berlin dis
patch published In Stockholm told
OF "heavy fighting" raging inside
both Belletri and Valmontone, two
other strongholds in the German
line.)
British and American infantry
southwest of Genzano were forced
to use bayonets and grenades to
root out German troops stubbornly
resisting from trenches and gullies.
Some gullies were fortified with
concrete pillboxes. The Terrain lin
tied tank support to selling.
On the coastal sector, British
troops advanced through thick nine
fields to capture L'Americano, 16
miles below the mouth of the Tiber,
and also seized Ardea, 16 miles OF
Rome and only two miles from
Campo Jemini, southern anchor Of
the new German line.
There were no new reports from
the Valmontone end of the line,
apart from an official spokesman,
statement that the enemy was re-
sisting fiercely along the whole
front below Rome.
One German armored attack the
base of the Alban hills, 1t was re-
vealed, was broken up with the de-
struction Of three Of six advancing
tanks.
Casualties Mount
German casualties mounted
hourly. Best estimates placed the
the number of enemy troops killed,
wounded or captured at 10000 since
the offensive began three weeks
ago Thursday night.
At the southeastern end of the
front, French elements of the Fifth
Army joined the Eighth Army in
conyerging on Frosinone, strategic
junction Of the Via Gasoline and
another escape road looping TO the
north and west.
The French captured Ceccano,
five miles south Of Frostnone, while
Moroccan goums pushed on ahead
and seized Carpineto, II miles west
Of Frosinone, and adjacent high
ground. British troops were nearing
Frosinone In an advance from the
southeast along the via Casilina.
"A German communique ack-
nowledged that Moroccan troops
had penetrated Nazi lines and
reached carpineto)
East OF FTosinone. Eighth army
units driNlg through the hills
above the Wit Casilina toward Avez-
zano captured Arce and Arpino.
five miles to the northeast, and ad-
vanced to within two miles OF SoTa
On the lateral highway running
from Arce TO Ayezzano,
sth Wins
Fontana, Strangolagalli. Arnara
and Alledena, all In high ground
overlooking the Via Casilina, also
fell to the Eighth Army.
In the air. an RAP Kittyb0mbeF
squadron discovered q traffic jam
OF 200 German vehicles ranging
from staff ears TO three-ton trucks
huddled nose 10 tail three abreast
on q road cut into the side OF Q
mountain linking the Via casilina
and the Applan Way southeast OF
Rome.
The convoy apparently had stalled
when the leading cars broke down.
Leaving nothing 70 chance. the Kit
northwest Of yitsbsk IN white RUS