Show I Army Takes Nazi Road Rail Junction Yank Drive Imperils Position of German Troops By Wes Was Gallagher A ALL ALLIED L L I lED E D HEADQUARTERS Algiers Oct 25 UP Violent Violent mountain mountain moun moun- tain tam battles flared on the Fifth army front in Italy Monday as the result of an allied drive of three miles that took the vital rail and road junc junction ion of Sparanise 13 miles miles' from the western western coast The advance of the Fifth army witnessed by General Dwight D. D Eisenhower while on a tour of the fronts front placed the American and and British is tr troops north orth ith of the thes stoutly ly lyd d n gi ld t canal al J hadIng lead had leading I ing to th the sea and imperiled U the position of the nazi troops in jn that area 1 If It they dont don't get out t they ey willbe will be caught in hr a pocket A military commentator said The Germans launched counterattack counterattack counterattack counter counter- attack after counterattack In an effort to relieve their position but in the words of the commentator they were wre driven off with a bloody nose Increase Tempo Tempo The The entire tempo of the war Inthe in inthe inthe the sea and air stiffened as Amerlean American American Amer Amer- ican lean heavy bombers blasted southern southern south south- ern era Austria and raided the air airfield airfield airfield field at Tirana Albania Albanil a second time On the Eighth army's eastern front General Sir Bernard L. L Montgomery's men poured into an enlarged bridgehead across the Trigno river to attack German positions beyond On the Fifth army front heavy German counterattacks flared east from Sparanise toward and Maggiora Maggi ora American troops sm smashed back four n nazi zi assaults in 24 hours The Fifth army advance in a mountainous area overlooking the coast constituted a severe threat to the entire German position and if continued would seriously endanger endanger endanger en en- danger the enemy's Massico ridge line Sparanise captured by the Fifth army Is about seven miles north of the Volturno near the center of Lieutenant General Mark W. W Clarks Clark's line and four miles due west of f In ion allied hands for several days Threaten Junction The advances of the Eighth army posed an increasing threat to the inland road junction town of Isernia and eventually the rear of the German Massico ridge line The rail yards and aircraft factory factory factory fac fac- fac- fac tory at Pistoia Pistola near Florence were bombed Sunday night and other communications lines at F Formia on the west coast and near-by near Minturno were blasted again In turn the Germans struck ain again at Naples now bei being g con con v into an an allied supply port and 15 nazi razI planes were shot down Sunday mostly in sky tangles over Italy Three of them were on oti P P- P Pt t Two C Column Five r Rail tail Junction Fifth Army Captures Road Rand i I Imperils German Positions in Area Continued from P Pare Pace t One ane bombers which attempted to raid Naples American Flying Fortresses and Liberators flying for the time with the escort of long range P 38 from Italian bases for fora a foray over actual territory of the Reich made the stab Into southern Austria The big bombers encountered bad weather however so that they could not report an accurate observation observation observation ob ob- ob- ob of results B 25 Mitchells sweeping over the Adriatic Adriatic- for a second surprise attack carried out the mission to Tirana and destroyed a number of grounded aircraft previously previously previously pre pre- had skimmed low over the same target with can canyon on and machine machine machine ma ma- chine guns working over the troops hangars workshops and vehicles on the field A Junkers 52 transport coming in to land was picked off oft by one Lightning while only 20 feet above the ground Australian also streaked across the Adriatic and bombed landing craft on the Yugoslav Yugoslav Yugoslav Yugo Yugo- slav coast in the sheltered channel between island and the mainland and set a ton 2000 ship smoking in harbor northwest northwest northwest north north- west of ot Dubrovnik A troop-laden troop launch also was set afire The allies lost four planes Sunday Sunday Sunday Sun Sun- day having their major encounter when Marauders following Mitchells Mitchells Mitch Mitch- I ells ella over the Orvieto railroad bridge bridgetS 45 tS miles north of at Rome were met by 20 Five of the interceptors were shot down and the bridge was bombed American fighter-bombers fighter destroyed destroyed destroyed de de- de- de a locomotive by strafing near Cassino north of Mount Massico Massico Mas- Mas sico attacked two bridges near Gaeta and made a successful raid on Frosolone 10 miles east of Isernia bernia Marauders also bombed the viaduct at Terni 40 miles north of Rome on the route to Florence A headquarters commentator said it was necessary to stress the fact that the Eighth army's offensive offensive offensive offen offen- sive was not large scale but merely merely merely mere mere- ly a s. curtain raiser |