Current Events September 18, 1943: Salerno falls; Allied victory paid for with American blood:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY SEPTEMBER 18, 1943:

Germany's Wehrmacht, which had gambled desperately for a Dunkirk at Salerno, last night had a Stalingrad, bought and paid for with American blood. Definitely smashing the probability of loss of the United States Fifth Army's bridgehead on the west coast of Italy, patrols of the British Eighth Army and Gen. Mark W. Clark's heroic Fifth established contact yesterday in the vicinity of Vallo di Luciana, approximately 16 miles south of American positions. Allied Headquarters announced officially

The surrender of the Italian fleet was one of the great turning points of the war at sea. First Lord of the Admiralty A. V. Alexander said Thursday in a radio review of the Mediterranean naval campaign.

Algiers radio reported the number of I t a l i a n ships in Allied hands had risen to 108, including at least five battleships, nine cruisers, 27 destroyers and 19 submarines.

The capture of Bryansk by the Russians was announced in a special order of the day from Stalin, broadcast from Moscow last night, four days after the Germans declared they had evacuated the city.

Italians in German-occupied Italy increased their opposition to German rule and the reorganized Fascist party as news of the Fifth Army's stand against the Germans filtered back to them, according
to reports from Rome yesterday. Spurring the Italians on was a Naziimposed starvation diet. German looting
of churches and a martial law proclamation.

American and Australian Troops tightened their grip around Lae yesterday as bombers of the U.S.
Fifth Air Force blasted airfields in the Wewak area and destroyed 48 enemy planes.
The situation around the great Japanese base at Lae has not changed appreciably in the last 24 hours, and Allied troops, converging from the east and west, are still! hammering at the city's outer defenses

            THE STARS AND STRIPES
           Daily Newspaper of U.S. Armed Forces in the European Theater of Operations
                      New York, N.Y.—London, England Saturday, Sept. 18, 1943
         8th Army Reaches Yank Forces

Fifth 12 Miles Inland
After Smashing 3 Big
Assaults by Germans
Important Airfield Site Seized by Clark's
Heroes; More Reinforcements Land
As Nazi Shelling~ Lessens
Germany's Wehrmacht, which had gambled desperately for a Dunkirk at Salerno, last night had a Stalingrad, bought and paid for with American blood. Definitely smashing the probability of loss of the United States Fifth Army's bridgehead on the west coast of Italy, patrols of the British Eighth Army and Gen. Mark W. Clark's heroic Fifth established contact yesterday in the vicinity of Vallo di Luciana, approximately 16 miles south of American positions. Allied Headquarters announced officially.
Coupled with this news, feverishly avvaiied in tense Allied' capitals for days, came word that the Fifth Army, after smashing back three frantic counter-attacks Thursday, had swung to the offensive, recaptured Albanella, and then reached out and seized Montecorvino, 12 miles northeast of Salerno.
                                                       Ring of Steel Broken
Thus the Allies had broken the enemy's ring of steel about the Salerno bridgehead and forged at least the first link in acontinuous front facing the Germans. In addition to word of the Allied contact
south of Salerno, other Eighth Army patrols linked up with advance units of forces which had struck narth and west after landing in the Taranto area -of  I t a l y ' s heel.

Gaining of Italy's
Fleet  Big Victory;
Five Battle Ships ln
The surrender of the Italian fleet was one of the great turning points of the war at sea. First Lord of the Admiralty A. V. Alexander said Thursday in a radio review of the Mediterranean naval campaign.
Algiers radio reported the number of I t a l i a n ships in Allied hands had risen to 108, including at least five battleships, nine cruisers, 27 destroyers and 19 submarines.
Complete Allied control of the Mediterranean has been assured by these additions to Allied naval power.
All of the seven battleships of the world's fifth largest fleet have been accounted for. The Italia, the Vittorio
Veneta, the Caio Duilio, the Andrea Doria and the Guilio are in Allied possession. The Imnerio is unseaworthy and the Germans sank the Roma when it tried to surrender to the British.

Reds Announce
Bryansk Taken
6 Nazi Divisions Routed;
Russians 55 Miles
From Kiev
The capture of Bryansk by the Russians was announced in a special order of the day from Stalin, broadcast from Moscow last night, four days after the Germans declared they had evacuated the city.
Simultaneous blows from the north and south broke enemy resistance and resulted in the capture of the large industrial centers of Bryansk and Berzhitsa. the order said. Six German infantry divisions were routed, it added..
Russian forces last night were only 55 miles from Kiev, the Russian communique said. It reported the capture of Nosovka, 20 miles southwest of Nezhin and only. 55 miles northeast of Kiev. The Russian advance towards Kiev now forms a broad wedge nearly 40 miles from north to south, and has cut all direct
railway communications between the Germans in the south and those on the central and northern fronts.

Italians Revolt
As U.S. Troops
With Stand Nazis
Germans Declare Martial
Law; Rush Fresh
Troops to Area
Italians in German-occupied Italy increased their opposition to German rule and the reorganized Fascist party as news of the Fifth Army's stand against the Germans filtered back to them, according
to reports from Rome yesterday. Spurring the Italians on was a Naziimposed starvation diet. German looting
of churches and a martial law proclamation.
Workers in the Transtevere district of Rome barricaded themselves in and overcame
German troops sent to arrest them. In other quarters. Italians fought the Germans from their housetops.
Fresh German troops have been ordered to northern Italy to quell the in the'Rome area, has ordered martial
law^ enforced, according to the German controlled Rome radio. All demonstrations of any kind have been prohibited and the death penally has been proclaimed for sabotage. No food has entered Rome for a week,
and people are trying to live on a daily ration of one pound of carrots. Nazi troops have fired upon crowds storming stores for food.

Allies Tighten Grip on Lae;
Attack City's Outer Defenses
American Fifth Air Force Destroys 48 Japanese
Planes in Raid on Wewak Area; 66 Tons
Of Bombs Dropped
ALLIED HQ. Southwest Pacific. Sept. 17—
American and Australian Troops tightened their grip around Lae yesterday as bombers of the U.S.
Fifth Air Force blasted airfields in the Wewak area and destroyed 48 enemy planes.
The situation around the great Japanese base at Lae has not changed appreciably in the last 24 hours, and Allied troops, converging from the east and west, are stil! hammering ai the city's ouier defenses.
The Allies now have seized Malahang Anchorage, less than two miles from the center of the big Japanese air base in New Guinea.
During the attack on Wewak, according to the official communique issued by Gen. MacArthur's headquarters. Allied bombers concentrated 66 tons of bombs in the target area in less than 15 minutes.
Hits were scored on runways and dispersal areas, where between 20 and 40 planes were standing. Two large fuel dumps were set on fire.
Between 60 and 70 fighters intercepted the force of bombers and a fierce running battle, lasting 50 minutes, was fought after the Liberators turned away from the target. No bombers were lost, and only one fighter was reported missing.