| Show Yanks ans Seize elzene Anchors ors of 0 Rome ome Line Ine Valmontone Fall Cuts Cut German Escape Road z Americ Americans ns Advance e eUp Up Valley Leading To Italian Capital By Robert ALLIED HEADQUARTERS Naples June 2 UP American UP-American American troops Friday captured Velletri and Valmontone twin bases of ot the German def defenses below R Rome me and cut the Via escape route for nazi forces pulling out from the southeast Other allied forc forces farces pursuing t the e nazis northwestward along the Via captured Ferentino 19 miles southe southeast t of Valmontone anc and near by Veroli II The Americans cracked two of the strongest points In the German Ger German man line defending Rome with the tha capture of Velletri and Valmontone Valmontone Valmon Valmon- tone but the nazis still sUll were battlIng battling bat bat- savagely to prevent the complete com corn collapse c of their defenses on the approaches to the Ita Italian la 1 cap cap- cap cap- ital While the United States armored units were toppling the two main German bases Velletri on the way and Valmontone on the Via advanced elements ele dc- dc ments already were vere striking onI on beyond them up the great valley I le leading ding directly to the gat l of t Rome i f a Savage age Resistance 1 The nazi command threw all Its resources into savage opposition to the Americans hammering forward forward forward for for- ward within sight of Rome By cutting c the th Via Via at Val Valmontone m 0 n ton the blocked the main ro route te of ot re refI retreat t for the nazis falling back under pressure of ot the Canadian troops troop of the Eighth army who rove drove through Ferentino while elements on their right seized Veroli Reports Reports' from the Artemisio e sector sec tor of the Alban hills hUls where e ican troops had pushed some mr m beyond Velletri to heights from which they could see Rome Indicated Indi Indr that they were clearing adjacent adjacent adjacent ad ad- jacent ridges prep preparatory atory to exploiting exploiting ex ex- their commanding post post- On the extreme allied left wing British units of the Fifth army were pushing against the Camp coastal anchor of ot the German German German Ger Ger- man defenses while other armor was battling through the gullies of f the Fossa de Campoleone west of Velletri one spearhead driving within less than 13 miles mUes of Rome American troops entered Velletri Velletri Velletri Vel- Vel Vel Vel- letri late Thursday They found it defended by snipers in in cellars and upp upper r stories of buildings Stiffer resistance was expected ted at t Valmontone but the Germans ap apparently apparently apparently ap- ap pulled out to escape the threat of the converging Fifth and Eighth armies on the Via Casi Casi- lina Una Earlier Friday the Americans were revealed to have cut the VII Via VI I in the Ule Valm Valmontone area I apparently to the northeast setting up the town for a pincers assault if the nazis had elected to defend it Fierce fighting continued in the Valmontone area where the Fifth army army units f faced ced the Hermann Goering division armed self propelled guns Fighting also was heavy west of Velletri where the nazis struggled to hold the line fro from i ithe the slopes northwest of ot the town to Lanuvio The Americans took many prisoners prisoners pris pris- at Velletri most of them from fron alarm batt battalions lions c comprising ing lug bakers butchers clerks an aria and other types of ot soldiers u usually noncombatant Authorities r revealed e ev v e a ale 1 e d Friday that the American First armored division which has had elements ashore in the Anzio beachhead since the landing below Rome is commanded by Major General Ernest Ernest Ernest Er Er- nest N. N Harmon The Fifth a army mY was reported officially to be attacking all aU along the mile 26 length of ot the fro front t from Valmontone to the nian sea sea in a powerful attempt to o smash completely through the belt of ot enemy fortifications andreach andreach and andreach reach Rome only 13 miles mUes away at the nearest point The American thrust across the Via In the Valmontone area crumpled the strongest strongest-cen- ter er of enemy resistance in the tle whole line and may trap en enemy mY remnants falling back along the Via from Ferentino 19 miles mUes to the southeast and now under attack by Canadians of ot the thi Eighth army An Algiers broadcast relayed Continued on race Pie Five nv Column Two Palestrina Rr t C ast i Af Js ln J I z 4 J 7 t W r Ax A t Jha t C 4 r r G Ar l i 4 r w Y t Yr o. fC r C ti r. r o i r S Cy y w. w S 'S Sj y r tv 5 J r j l rt iha it i e ri a A C i ly r s f. f i aC fi l i A IX n IA fo yN r r r y- y l Ill it s iy v J Ji r r- r r. r Associated Press Map Mop Twin Tw Nazi Naz Defense Bases Fall Faff Arrows show allied drives on the Italian front black line The Fifth army captured Valmontone on Via CasHin a and Velletri on the way thus smashing two of the strongest barriers on the road to Rome Continued blows brought allies to within 13 miles of Rome The capture of Valmontone cut the main es escape escape es es- cape route for nazis fighting in the southeast Fifth Army Captures Twin Defense Anchors Below Rome Severs Nazi Escape Highway Continued from Pa PaRe Page Re One by y London and recorded by CBS said aid the Cana Canadians ians had captured Ferentino The German command had massed the whole Hermann Goering Goering Goer- Goer ing ng division along with other enemy nemy units which had escaped from rom the south at Valmontone for fora a desperate attempt to hold the town own at all cost but the Germans finally broke after a week of at al almost almost almost al- al most ceaseless American pressure Valmontone 23 miles southeast or of f Rome controlled the home homestretch homestretch stretch of the Via anda and its a prospective fall should pave the he way for an allied advance around the southeastern flank of the he Alban hills hUls A dispatch from Velletri by Reynolds Packard United Press war var correspondent said the Americans Americans Amer- Amer cans first broke into the edge of the he town at 6 p. p m. m Thursday and entered Centered it an hour ant and a half haJ later Friday he e said infantry was cleaning out German snipers left behind as a rear guard Tanks Stand Ready American tanks had been standing standing standing stand stand- ing outside Velletri for several days unable to enter the town because because because be be- cause of fire ire from enemy self pro guns An outflanking column column column col col- col- col finally penetrated its streets from the northeast after overrunning overrunning overrunning overrun overrun- ning Lariano four miles away on the road from Valmontone The Germans also rushed reinforcements reinforcements reinforcements rein rein- into Velletri in an eleventh hour attempt to save the town and seal off the American penetration but their effort apparently apparently ap ap- came too late American units clearing the enemy enemy enemy en en- emy emy- from the Artemisio m mountains mountains moun moun- in the heart of the Alban un-I un hills were only two and a half miles from Mt Della Delia Faeta whose slopes descend to the wooded Campagna Campagna Campagna Cam- Cam plain and Rome itself Its capture would pass by-pass both the Germans' Germans way stronghold of Albano and near by Castel Gandolfo Gandolfo Gandolfo Gan- Gan dolfo site of the popes pope's summer home The Germans also were resisting strongly in the Lanuvio Campo Lanuvio-Campo- Campoleone Campo Campo- leone sector southwest of Velletri Because most of the allied armor was committed there the Germans had expected the main attack to come from that sector Canadians Advance Canadian elements of the Eighth army advanced six miles from Frosinone to reach the approaches to Ferentino another junction on the Via while French troops of the Fifth army pushed through the mountains south of the highway to a point some five miles west of Ferentino The tactical air forces supporting supporting support support- ing the Fifth and anil Eighth armies continued to concentrate on enemy enemy enemy en en- emy communications and transport transport transport trans trans- port Thursday Thunderbolt fighters shot up 15 German freight cars loaded with gasoline near Montevarchi on the Florence Avezzano line while Mitchells cut a railroad bridge across the Tiber near Orte 35 miles mUes north of Rome Marauders Thunderbolts and Mitchells attacked roads railroads and bridges cutting tracks and blocking roads Fighter-bombers Fighter were credited with destroying enemy vehicles Candidate on Tour A Idaho UP Charles UP-Charles Charles C. C Gossett Nampa candidate for forthe forthe forthe the Democratic nomination for governor said Thursday he will visit Twin Falls Fans and Pocatello the remainder of this week in connection connection conne tion with his campaign |
