The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-02-13
FIFTH ARMY TICHTENS
ITS GRIP ON ANZIO
Continued from Page One)

Continued from Page One)
plies were arriving at the beach
head, Gen. Clark said, which would
give the Allied forces there the
opportunity to kill Germans sin
large numbers"
CA British broadcast, recorded
by CHS, quoted a British war cor
respondent as saying that the Ger
man radio was boasting that the
beachhead force soon would have
to take to boats. Such German
statements never have been within
miles of the TRUTH the CORES
pondent said, adding that the troops
were facing their job with sober
confidence).
Visits Beachhead
Issuing his message soon after
his return today from visit to
the beachhead, Gen. Clark told
the troops who have been batter
ing down week-long series OF
German counter attacks there that
their landing was a splendid &C
complishment'' and added:
"You caught the enemy by sur
prise forcing him to effect a sud-
den and expensive change of plan
and to rush forces from northern
Italy, from France, from the Bal
kans and from the Casino front
to attempt TO meet the emergency
you have created"
He commended the "dogged de-
termination of the troops fighting
in the mountains of the Casino
Garigliano front.
In the beachhead area it was APP
parent that mud which begged
down the Nazi armor. and the de-
termined resistance of the Allied
troops had forced the Germans to
pause and regroup. An Allied
spokesman declared that the
beachhead front lines have re-
NAMED relatively unchanged dur
ing the past few days"
Village Changes Hands
Dispatches from the bridgehead
said that the now shattered village
of Carroceto (Aprilia) had changed
hands several tines. Part of this
community is referred to as the
factory"-a name which traces
to the fact that it formerly served
as food processing, storage and
distribution center for the sur
r~unding farming regions.
(The Berlin radio claimed to-
night that Allied reverses at the
village had brought about move
ment of troops inside the beach
head in the past "a hours with Am
orleans appearing for the first
time in the Carroceto sector.)
Along the main Fifth Army front
to the south the battle also tipped
slightly in the Allies favor as the
Americans scored bloody if limited
gains in the key Casino sector.
But there still was nothing to in
dictate that the fighting in Italy
would not be among the costliest
and most sanguinary of the war.
The Germans were carrying out tc
the letter Hitler's orders to make
a desperate stand. whatever the
cost. In some instance they were
more than matching Allied man.
power.
Knock Out Jail
The Americans grinding strug
giles in Casino finally gave them
possession of ore entire section o:
the shattered town. They also
knocked out the remnants of the
town Jail to which the Nazis hae
chung even after Allied high ex
plosives had battered the strong
fortress-like building to the ground
News that the Germans had oc
cupied the grounds of the Pope:
summer palace at Castel Gandolfe
was regarded as another instance
of Nazi determination to resist tt
the last at whatever cost in mer
or principles.
The German cornmunique de-
clared that sharp Allied attack
against the German lines at Car.
roceto (Aprilia) had been beaten
back.
The Allied communique said q
German attack on the beachheao
was beaten back yesterday and the
fact that only one attack was made
that day indicated the terrific eff
feet of Allied air attacks Of the
previous day when four-enginee
bombers were diverted from nor.
NAL long range targets to team
up with medium and fighter-bomb
ers in pulverizing the gathering
panzer divisions and wreckine
COMMUNICATIONS.
Allied headquarters announced
that during the stiff fighting or
both fronts during the past sever
days more than 5000 crack Ger
man troops had been taken prison
err. This brought the Allied bag
to more than $4,000, virtually one
division, since the invasion of Italy
began last September. This does
i mt include fbo hoox,x, 1occoc fhe