Evening star., 1944-01-29
Allies Advance
To 19 Miles
From Rome
II Nuzi Planes
Downed in Attacks
On Beuchheud
BY the Associated Press.

ALLIED HEADQUARTERS, Al
giers, Jan. 29.-Fifth Army inva-
sion forces expanding their
beachhead in Western Italy have
pushed IL miles north of Anzio,
Allied headquarters announced
today, and now stand about 10
miles from Rome after seizing a
bridge three miles beyond Car
raceto, scene of bitter fighting.
Other units striking northeast of
Anzio have brought the town of
Cisterna, IA miles inland astride the
Appian Way, under light artillery
range. Tanks are spearheading the
Allied advances.
The Germans launched heavy air
attacks against shipping on the
beachhead yesterday and again suf-
fered badly at the hands of the
Allied air forces which shot down q
enemy planes over the area.
Fourteen more planes were shot
down during heavy bomber raid on
Ferrara. The days total bag was
So Nazi aircraft against loss of five
Allied planes.
Advance Above Casino,
Violent fighting ragged north of
Casino where American tanks and
infantry hacked out gains against
fierce opposition and repeated
counterattacks. Farther north,
French troops seized two hills north
of Belvedere Mountain and smashed
down three German counterthrusts.
Action on the fan-shaped invasion
front brought spectacular artillery
fire from British and American war
ships supporting the drive as we'll as
great aerial duels.
The communique said, During
daylight a heavy and accurate bonn
bardment by his majesty's ships
silenced German batteries, broke up
attempted movements of enemy
troops on roads and inflicted damage
and casualties on enemy transport. y
The accuracy of the salvos from
the long-range naval guns was evil
denced by one direct hit which cut
supply train in half.
Warships Shell Formia.
The Navy reported that the Ger
mans had been pushed back out OF
range of the guns of destroyers. but
still were being hammered by cruis-
ers, which can reach between seven
and eight miles inland. Naval guns
also blasted at Formia, on the Gull
of Gaeta to the south, and continued
their harassing fire into the night.
Among the ships bombarding the
shore were the Royal Navy cruisers
Dido and Mauritius and the Destroy
er Kempenfelt.
Fighting was waged in driving
rainstorm, but in spite of the wealth
er sky battles over the beachhead
continued in violence unmatched
since the last stages of the Tunisia
campaign.
The 36 planes brought down yes
terday boosted the two-day total in
the air over Italy and Southern
France to 86 Nazi craft destroyed.
More than 100 German planes
started attacking the invasion fleets
landing troops and supplies at dawn
and in the first six hours of daylight
Allied fighters knocked down 81 OF
the enemy. During the afternoon
the Luftwaffe attacks dwindled to
almost nothing.
Negro pilots in P-40s, who the day
before had shot down eight planes in
two dogfights over the beachhead
accounted for four more yesterday.
Rail functions Hammered.
Heavy bombers with fighter escorts
also struck at the important railway
functions of Verona and Ferrara ir
Northern Italy to cut supply lines
leading to the front, and hit the
airfield at Aviano, 40 miles north
OF Venice, shooting down IA planes.
Medium bombers hit railwa,
bridges at Orvietto, Orte and Tern
and altogether, it was announced
the Allied air force sent up more
than 1,500 sorties during the day
approximately 100 more than the
fcoo rnAT