Evening star., 1944-01-25
Allies Advance II Miles in |ta|v:
NaZi Blows Decrease at Casino
indicating Shift Of Defense Force
Germans Report
Fifth Army u
Miles From Rome
MAP on Page A-3.l
By the Associated Press,

by the Associated Press,
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS Al
glers, Jan. 25.-Allied troops hav
orlVen IL miles inland from thei
Nettuno-Anzio beachhead an
patrols are pushing deeper, wit
no formidable" German opposi
tlon yet encountered, Allie
headquarters announced toda,
The famous Appian Way to Rom
and the main coastal rail line ar
ABOUT II miles inland from the land
ing area, but it was not specificall
stated that the invasion forces ha
reached them. 1t is obvious. how
ever, that they are at least unde
Allied domination.
tIhe Berlin radio indicated
TO-DAY that American troops had
driven within % miles of Rome
and cut the Appian Way and
main coastal railway by captur-
ing Velletri, 18 miles northeast
of Nettuno.
CAmerican troops are finding
oeprls and ashes there after their
own bombs transformed the little
town INTO a heap of ruins" the
radlo report said Velletri is on
the Appian Way and only 9 miles
from the Via CaSilina. the inland
highway leading to the Casino
battlefield to the south)
CThe Geneva newspaper La
Suisse quoted the Fascist press
today as announcing that Allied
forces now had occupied the en-
tire 30-mile coastal stretch from
Nettuno to the, mouth of the
Ilber and were threatening
Ostla, the port of Rome. 3 miles
up the river. Owl reported this
dispatchD
Nine Nazi Planes Downed.
German planes made thei,
strongest attacks yesterday. seeking
o halt sea-borne reinforcements
snd battled over the invasion bridge
lead, but lost nine planes.
The Allied spearheads met hastily
organized battle groups" of Germans
apparently moved northward from
he 5th Army front around Casino
The NazlS still were launching
lerce counterattacks on the Cassinc
ront, but these blows have de-
,reaSed somewhat in number and
Intensity in the last "a hours, indi-
'atlng that enemy forces were being
pulled back to meet the invasion
lanking threat.
Beachhead Lengthened.
The beachhead has been length
med, headquarters declared in a
,ommunique, without disclosing the
area it covers. Reinforcements anc
supplies continued to pour in, and
the communique said the town Of
Anzio, bordering Nettuno to the
west, had been taken.
(The United Nations radio at
Algiers said the troops striking
inland were within almost a mile
Of the double track Rome-Na-
piles electric rail line The broad
cast was recorded by the OWI)
Fierce fighting ragged on the Amer
lean sector along the Rapido Rive
near Casino, with heavy fire by al
kinds of weapons.
Americans Recross Rapido.
American patrols recrossed tht
stream to probe enemy defenses, bu
no counteroffensive was Launched
by the Americans to keep a fore,
on the western bank. The Germans
who on Sunday pushed the Ameri
cans back across the river, mad,
no attempts to cross to the eastern
bank.
French troops in the northern
most area beat back several NOR,
enemy counterattacks and no
battle Swirled for the Mount Croc,
area
British troops kept their bridge
head across the Garigliano River OF
the left flank of the 5th Army line
despite new Nazi counterblows ant
made some gains in the Damian,
Bridge area. The Germans wer,
counterattacking recklessl,
in the Minturno and Caste,fort,
areas.
Large Number of Dead.
A British veteran of the Worlt
War who went through the thicl
Of the fighting in and around Min
turno said:
The German dead there exceeded
the dead I saw at any time durin.
the fiercest fighting on the Somme
The German battle groups rush
ing up against the invasion force
to the northwest are formation
which can be drawn rapidly from
any division. They represent al
branches and are in the nature O
nsniature defense divisions will
their own commanders. Presumabl,
such groups have been drawn from
several of the divisions facing tn
5th Army.
There also were indications tn
Germans may bring some of thei
(See ITALY. Page A-3)