The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-03-16
Tanks, Men, Guns Battle
(Continued from Page D


 
 Germans slowly out of the town, with sappers working frantically to clear away the wreekage that blocked their path,
 Heavy rains which began at 9 D. m. yesterday continued through the night and added to the diff culties Of the attacking Allied troops.
 The Germans, apparently rein forced by fresh units, rushed into the battle during the night, fought back vIciously with gunfirc, hand grenadcs and their screaming meemies' multi -barrelled trench mortnrs.
 While the battle ragged inside the ruins of Casino under clearing skies, other Allied forces pushed forward into the hills to the north- west, threatening to cut off the Germans ir the town,
 New Attack
 Simultaneously, American Infan- trymen on the Anzio beachhead front were revealed to have launched new attack southeast of Aprilia. Two enemy serong points fell to the Americans yesterday. But head- quarters spokesmen said the Nazis counter-attacked savagely and that violent fighting still was in progress thls morning,
 Long-rangG German and Allied guns traded heavy shellflre through out yesterday and combat patrols were In action all along the beach, head perimcter.
 The Germans were reported using a new grappling device in an effort to explode the mine-f fields in front Of the Allied lines,
 An Allied communIque said bitter si.irmishIng also took place on the 8th Army front yesterday, and spokcsmcn said the Germans hnd stepped up the tempo of their ar- tillery fire in that Sector, particu- larly along the coastal highway.
 All reports indicated that the NazI high command regarded the destruction of Casino as the open ing broadslde in a concerted Allied offensive all across the Italian front.
 German shock troops attempted a heavy thrust early yesterday against the French positions on Hill 905, five miles north of Casino. Before the Allied air blow fell, however, the attack had been beaten of with considerable losses to the enemy.
 Another EYor.
 Another German effort to ap- proach Indian positions near Gas" Sino also was broken up before the air show began.
 Ground fighting died away, how ever, when the first Allied bonberS droned in over Cassino, and tens of thousands of Allied and Ger- man troops ceased firing to watch the storm Of bombs rip through the ancient stone town.
 Allied observers said the Ger mans suffered heavy casualties in the preliminary fighting and lost even more heavily under the aerial and artillery barrage. It was be- lieVed that all the Germans en- trenched in Casino when the bornbers came over yesterday were killed or buried alive before they could get clear Of the town.
 United Press War Correspondent Dana Adams Schmidt reported fin 8 dispatch from an observation post overlooking Casino that many Ger mans burrowed deep in under. ground shelters during the bombing came out fighting when lt ended)
 OfIicIaI Pies.
 Official photographs showed that only few jagged walls remained stardin gtoday. The only building not demolished was a fouy.story hotel. the top two stories of which had been crushed by Q direct bomb hit.
 Lieutenant General Ira c. Baker, commander of the Mediterranean Air Forces, watched the bombing from nearby observation post, along with General Sir Harold R.. L. c. Alexander, Lieutenant Gen. eral Mark W. Clark, and Lieutenant General Jacob L. Devers.
 The destruction, Baker said, was more complete than had been exc pected,
 To-day we funigated Casino. nc said, and I am most hopeful that when the smoke of tcdAy's bat. tic clears away we shall find more worthy occupants installed with 1t. tle loss to our men"
 How thoroughly Bakers b0snbers had done the job, however, re- naiiled to be tegted by the attack ing Allied ground forces. Ire NazIG