The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-02-21
Foe Dozed By HeovyFire
PAGE FOUR
(continned from Page D

While the hulk of the nine Ger man divisions engaged, six on the Aprilia front and three around Cis- terna, waged a grim, fighting re- treat and counter-attacked desper- ately at several points, front reports indicated their big push had been broken.
 Battle-wearied Nazis were re- ported falling back slowly this morning under constant attack from land and air, leaving hundreds of their dead and the wreckage of burned -out tanks in the fields and farmhouses lining the bloody road to Anzio.
 More than 700 German prisoners were rounded up by the advancing Allies. Many of them were dazed and frightened by the Anglo-Ameri- can air and artillery bombardment.
 Captured German soldiers, many rag tag rear line clements pressed into battle service, said their officers had assured them the Allies were breaking for the beaches in an Italian Dunkirk."
 The only German offensive actions reported today were minor attacks against the Allied beachhead peril meter around Cisterna and in the vicinity of Aprilia.
 Official word of fighting in the Aprilia sector revealed that the An- glo- American forces had surged back about a mile since the beginning of their counter drive at noon Sat- urday.
 The three-day German offensive had penetrated about two and a quarter miles south of Aprilia along the highway to Anzio, only to break under the steady drumf1re of Allied planes, tanks, artillery and infantry forces.
 Six German divisions possibly 90, 0,000 men - were disclosed official ly to have taken part in the of- fenSive and headquarters spokes- men said the Nazi high command now has thrown IS full division, 180, ,000 to 270,000 men, into the spreading battle of Italy.
 With engineers, reconnaissance nuits and anti-aircraft gun crews pressed into action as foot soldiers, the Nazis threw the full strength of their onslaught into flying wedge" against the AnZio highway.
 At least five regiments struck on 1,000-yard front below Aprilia un- der curtain of fire laid down by their planes and artillery, and by noon Saturday the attack had rolled back the Allied lines to within little more than seven miles of the sea- coast.
 Then Allied tanks and infantry struck back frlriously, spearheaded by American armored units that had won their first battle honors in the Tunisian campaign.
 The exhausted Germans broke under the attack. Hundreds were killed as they turned to flee, while hundreds of others surrendered.
 German mortar crews and ma chine gunners turned their fire on their own troops in frantic effort to halt the retreat, United Press war correspondent Reynolds Packard reported in an eyewitness dispatch.
 Latest front reports indicated the Allied counter-drive still was slicing into the NaZi salient, with swarms of planes bombing and machine cunning the enemy front and rear lines. Support
 "Our effort was greatly assisted by the magnificent support given by Allied naval units, A1''ed air formations and both British and American artillery" headquarters communique said in announcing the successful counter-thrust.
 Several hundred prisoners were captured and the enemy suffered very heavy casualties" At least one NaI regiment was understood to have lost 60 per cent of its fighting strength - a casualty list of possibly 1900 men killed, wounded or captured.
 Both British and American war ships joined in the naval lombard ment that helped smash the enemy drive, shelling the Aprilia sector and the German supply center at Formia. Heavy casualties were inflicted on the enemy in the Fornia lombard ment last Friday.
 Raid Repulsed
 On the main 5th Army front, French troops repulsed a strong Ger man raid against their lines in the hills northeast of Cassino.
 British 9th Army patrols were ac- tive on the Adriatic coastal sector, despite continued bad weather, and inflicted casualties on the enemy, the communique said.
 Allied planes pounded the Ger man beachhead lines all day yester- day. Flying some 300 Sorties, waves of medium and light bombers hit at the Nazi supply dumps, troop concentrations and gun positions, while fighter palnes patrolled the beachhead to ward off enemy air attacks.
 The Germans countered with about 100 Sorties over the battle field, losing four planes. Three Allied aircraft were missing.
 Allied medium bombers hit enemy shipping at Viareggio. on the north west coast of Italy, and 1t was dis closed that formation of light bomberS raided the enemy lines