Daily Post - 16.12.1943, Blaðsíða 1

ICEIAND’S UNLV
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Thursday, Dec. 16, 1943
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Fierce Fighting In
Adriatic Sector
Kiey Buloe Battle
Haugs In Balance
Both Sides Greatly Increase
Air Activity
—- •
London, Dec. 15th.
In Italy, the two Eighth Army bridgeheads across the Moro
have now joined up. Allied aircaft in strength have attacked tar-
gets in Greece.
Meanwhile, the Germans
have switched their attack from
the ground to the air, the Luft-
waffe sending about 100 air-
craft over the Allied lines,—
the biggest formation of enemy
aircraft seen since the Salerno
landing. The Allied airmen
were ready for them, and shot
down or damaged several of
them for the loss of only two
machines of their own.
Among Allied targets outside
the battle area yesterday were
the marshalling yards at Orte,
bombed by Mitchells, and Ci-
vitavecchia, which Warhawks
gave ' yet another plastering.
The highlight, however, of
yesterday’s air news was a four-
way attack on targets in
Greece. The force was the bigg-
est ever to fly over to the Bal-
kans, and numbered more than
300 aircraft, which attacked
four important military objec-
tives, all within 10 miles of
Athens.
é
The main weight of the raids
fell on the big German bomber
base near Athens, which Flying
Fortresses attended to, hitting
three hangars and raking the
runways fro mone end to the
other with cannon and machine
gun fire. The German fighter
base in the vicinity also came
in for a heavy attack, while
Liberators simultaneously were
delivering a blistering raid on
the Nazi airfeild at Tatoi. The
fourth target was the harbour
at Pireus, just southwest of
Athens. All these operations,
■ during which 12 enemy aircraft
were destroyed, cos tthe Allies
only two bombers.
Heavy bombers from the
Middle East on Sunday attack-
ed docks on the island of Crete
without loss.
In Yugoslavia, General Tito’s
partisan forces, supported by
Allied aircraft, have inflicted a
big defeat on the Germans at
Zara on the Adriatic coast. The
Germans have also been forced
to evacuate an island off the
port of Zara. The enemy lost
heavily in men and materials in
these encounters.
There has been more hard
fighting on the Adriatic side of-
Italy, where Eighth Army men
have pushed on in spite of de-
sperate German resistance and
repeated counter-attacks. Indi-
an troops have captured Cal-
dore, a village a mile north of
the Moro, and have linked up
with the Canadians on their
right, who are holding positi-
ons in front of Ortona on the
coast. Allied troops are now
therefore solidly established on
a line about five miles long, by
a mile and a half deep. It is an
all-Dominion front, extending
to the Maiella mountains, about
15 miles inland, with the Cana-
dians on the right, the Indian
troops in the center and the
New Zealanders further inland.
The Germans are still resist-
ing fiercely in front of Ortona,
where the Canadians continue
to consolidate and reinforce
their positions. These troops
made a daring raid on Sunday
on a village two miles inland.
Nazis Today Nervously Report
New Russian Offensive
London, Dec. 15th.
Moscow again reports massed German attacks by infantry
and tanks against the Kiev salient, whej-eas, south of Cherkasy,
Russian troops are converging on Smyela.
To-day’s news from Russian
capital make it clear that the
Germans have by no means
given up the hope of smashing
through to Kiev, and there is
no sign yet that the enemy’s
huge losses in men and armour
have sufficiently weakened him
to affect the power of his mass-
ed attacks. The result of the
battle, begun a month ago to-
day. stili hangs in the balance.
Moscow, this afternoon ann-
ouncing the evacuation of
Radamysl on the west bank of
the Teterev river, 60 miles
west of Kiev, describes the
situation as tense but not de-
Penetrating into the very heart
of the German positions, they
took prisoners, — the comm-
anding officer, his eritire staff
and 140 men of his battalion.
To-day’s communique reports
the capture of 200 German
troops elsewhere, and states
that severe losses have. been
inflictecT on the enemy in the
latest fighting.
All along the 15 mile coastal
corridor, a non-stop succession
of thrusts and ccounter thrusts
goes on, the Allied troops mak-
ing small gains here and there,
and gradually weakening the
Germans in the line.
There is not much news from
the other side of the Italian
battlefront. The grsund fight-
ing has been limited to artillery
fire and sharp patrol clashes,
with both sides continuing to
reinforce and consolidate their
positipns.
sperate. The Red Army is mass-
ing its strength on the east bank
of the river, which the German
must cross if they are to smash
through to th Ukrainian capital.
Further south, at the neck of
the Dniepr bend. the Russian
columns. converging on Smyela,
have now linked up, One of
these was that which a couple
af days ago captured Cherkasy,
and the other is a Soviet force,
which for some time has been
fightmg its way up from Krem-
enchug. The entire west bank
of the Dniepr between Kremen-
chug and Cherkasy has now
been cleared of Germans, and
the tow Red Army columns are
reported to be nearing the river
Tasmin, the only natural barri-
er o nthe way to their objective.
Correspondents’ messages speak
of German forces in this area
being driven into difficult
marshy country. and of being
in imminent danger of being
outflanked and cut off.
Berlin reports to-day speak
of heavy fighting in the Nevel
sector, admitting local penetr-
ation by Soviet tanks, which
the Germans say, are operating
in groups of 50. Moscow does
not mention this sector, and it
is not possible to this sector,
and it is not possjble to say
whether these operatons are
merely of local importance, or
the beginning of a new offen-
sive.
The lates messages from
Berlin to-night say that expect
ed Russian attacks south-west
of Zhlobin have begun.