Show F D R Churchill Demand Unconditional Surrender Invaders rs of Sicily Take 12 T Towns In New ew Advance By Daniel De pe Luce Luice LuceL A ALLIED L L LIE I E D HEADQUARTERS North Africa July 16 UP The The punching hard-punching British Eighth army was report reported sl l within 15 miles of Catania in a northward surge up the Sicilian coast Friday after falling upon two German armored divisions and severely mauling them 5 Allied headquarters announced the capture of 12 more towns as as' as Americans British and Canadians advanced all along their moon- moon shaped front and more than 20 prisoners were In allied hands when General Sir Bernard L. L Montgomery's veterans administered administered administered adminis adminis- another whipping to the Hermann Hermann Hermann Her Her- mann Goering and Fifteenth German German Ger Gee man armored divisions The rhe American Seventh army of Lieutenant General George S. S Patton Patton Pat- Pat ton n Jr seizing a umber slumber of towns townson on the western sector some of them of greatest strategic importance importance importance im im- im- im had taken taleen nearly of the prisoners This time Montgomery fell upon the Germans north of Lentini where the axis had gathered important important important im im- im- im armor for a strong counterattack counterattack coun coun- and smashed th them m back Observers believed the enemy had staked his all on t tack ck With an appreciable number of tanks already in Sicily observers were confident cOl the Ule German tank forces Would be dealt with and that thereafter the enemy would be obliged to fight a defensive r while conducting a withdrawal wal from the island The axis appe appeared appeared red powerless to keep the allied fleet in check as asit asit asit it gave strong seaward support to Montgomery's right flank and b bombarded the enemy's coastal positions positions positions po po- po- po at will ill The Fifteenth German armored division was believed to be SL a collection collection col lection of German units which had be been n assembled to go to Tunisia before its fall It was then given the name of the enemy division that was wiped out out- in the Tunisian Tunisian Tunisian Tu Tu- Tu- Tu fighting Another hot struggle was reported reported reported re re- re- re ported inland about 25 miles from the coast of Vizzini l one of the newly captured towns This town on a vital second line of ot communications upon which the axis had been obliged to fall bac back changed hands several several sev sev- eral times before the British got lit it securely ly in their c control Continuation on the advance from would quickly menace the towns of Militello and Scordia Scordia Scordia dia at the western vestern entrance of the he Catania plain At L Lentini the British already were fighting at atthe atthe atthe the southern edge of that plain With the immedi immediate te prize of Continued on Paste Pale Five Column Two Allied Invaders of Sicily Take 12 More Towns In New Advances Through gh Axis Defenses Continued from Page One Catania half way up the east coast near at hand the veterans of General Sir Bernard 1 L. L Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Mont Mont- gomery were said by Fridays Friday's from allied headquarters lo to have made further progress progress progress ress against German troops who desperately contested every inch of the ground New Battle Starts The Rome radio in a broadcast broadcast broadcast broad broad- cast recorded in London said The real and true decision for the island will be reached in a new newbattle newbattle newbattle battle which has already virtually started in the Catania plain Severe losses were inflicted upon the enemy by the American Seventh army which advanced several miles across difficult hill country and captured further important important important im im- im- im positions the que added Although the headquarters bulletin bulletin bulletin bul bul- letin said the speed of the advance advance advance ad ad- vance is very satisfactory it called attention to the limiting factor of allied transport and supporting supporting supporting sup- sup porting weapons at this stage of the operations The reorganized Hermann Goering Goering Goering Goer- Goer ing tank division of the Germans had suffered heavy losses in attempting attempting attempting at at- tempting to oppose the British push toward Catania headquarters reports said but the German armored division was known to be in reserve Meanwhile the overpowering air strength of the allies was thrown afresh into a series of paralyzing blows both at the Italian mainland mainland mainland main main- land and Sicily itself An assault In the la last t 24 hours on Naples comparable to the previous previous previous pre pre- pre pre- days day's strike at Messina turned a two-mile two long mile wide waterfront area of the biggest Italian Italian Italian Ital Ital- ian port city into a smoking in in- in- in ferno An ammunition train exploded and docks warehouses and locomotives locomotives locomotives loco loco- motives burned furiously and smoke hung in the air to a height of feet after the arsenal was hit This was after bombers hit the port Wednesday night attacking airdromes do docks ks and railway facilities facilities facilities fa fa- and after unescorted Flying Flying Flying Fly Fly- ing Fortresses had continued the ass assault by daylight Palermo docks also were severely severely severely severe severe- ly pounded by medium bombers during the day and Paterno a focal focal focal fo fo- fo- fo cal point of enemy communications came in for a heavy blow by night Meanwhile approximately y 70 Liberators from the middle east were were said in a United States com com- to have made a flaming shambles of the main and two I satellite airfields at Foggia on 1 the spur of the Italian boot Flying in three waves the Liberators Liberators Liberators Lib Lib- dropped nearly pounds of high explosives fragmentation fragmentation fragmentation frag frag- and incendiary bombs covering parts of the main airfield with bursts busts and burning at least 30 planes at all aU three airdromes The Liberators also started huge fires in wooded areas Four R RAF A F Halifa ces from the middle ea east t continued the assault on Messina Wednesday night finding fires still raging that had been set in the In-the the previous 24 hours In a steady attrition of enemy shipping allied planes torpedoed a large merchant ship off the north coa coast t of Sardinia and severely damaged at least three others |